


the world in our hands

by chenjisthisandthat



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Air Nomad Genocide (Avatar), Airbender! Chenle, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, AtLA AU, Betrayals, Bobo the Sky Bison, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, Earthbender! Jeno, Earthbender! Jisung, Epic Bending Battles, Firebender! Donghyuck, Firebender! Renjun, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Healer! Mark, Hot and Sad boys Save the World!, M/M, Mentions of Death, Mild torture, No Deaths!!! Aside from ones in the past, Nono the Flying Lemur, Past Character Death, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Suicidal Thoughts, Traveling the world, War, Waterbender! Jaemin, gets better as it goes, no avatar, not as dark as it seems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:27:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenjisthisandthat/pseuds/chenjisthisandthat
Summary: Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished.But he never came back.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 9
Kudos: 68





	1. The Last Airbender

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to my beloved atla au!! huge thanks to Mel for beta-ing and helping me create this story. also huge thanks to the rest of the homies on WAW because without you all this would not be possible. <3 u guys. 
> 
> TWs for this first chapter: Mentions of Death & Genocide

“Jeno hyung! Look! I’ve got it!” Jisung moves his hands up in one strong, fluid motion, legs holding their stance—shoulder-width apart. 

A large rock shoots out of the earth, creating a solid red pillar. 

“Nice, Jisungie!” Jeno exclaims, walking over and clapping him on the back.

Jisung grins. He’s been working on this move for weeks. He’s only been earthbending for about a year or so. He doesn’t remember how long. His father had decided he’d rather Jisung wait until he was older to receive proper earthbending training. Something about it being far too dangerous for a young kid or some bogus. 

That being said, with the help of his brother, Jeno, Jisung has already learned the basics and been practicing them for years. 

But then he finally turned fifteen and his parents trusted him enough to teach him earthbending. Jeno, who’s two years Jisung’s senior, has been his main teacher for the past two years. His parents help whenever they can, but his father bends for his job and his mother only uses bending around the house. 

So Jeno, who’s eighteen and has been practicing for nearly four years (he’s nearly a master!) is his teacher. When Jeno was learning their parents had hired a special tutor. Unfortunately, what with the fire nation drawing nearer everyday, money is thin, and tensions are high. The less people who know Jisung can earthbend the better. 

“Okay now, Sung, try to punch through the air and create spheres from our pillar of rock.” 

Jisung nods. He closes his eyes, centering himself. His feet are solid on the ground. He takes a deep breath in and punches forward through the air with his fist, focusing on carving the pillar, moving the earth through the air. He feels the energy flow through him and … 

“Amazing, Sungie!” Jeno exclaims. Jisung opens his eyes and sure enough, on the ground fifteen feet ahead of him is a sphere of earth.

“That was great,” Jeno says, walking over to him. “You’re seriously a natural. Only a year and three hundred sixty four days and you’re already this good!” 

Jisung grins. “That’s just because you’ve been secretly teaching me since I was eleven.” They make their way through the ravine, heading back towards the village. 

Jeno waves a hand. “Give yourself some more credit, Jisung. You’re an excellent bender.” 

Jisung’s cheeks turn pink. “How do you know the exact date?” 

Jeno blinks at him. “Because we started your fifteenth birthday, remember? And tomorrow is your birthday.” 

Oh. Jisung forgot about that. He’ll finally be seventeen. 

“Don’t tell me you forgot.” Jeno snorts, shoving him gently. 

Jisung shoves him back. “It just slipped my mind, Jen hyung.” 

Jeno throws an arm around Jisung’s shoulder. “Oh, to be seventeen, so young and free.” 

“Hyung, shut up,” Jisung laughs. 

They’re about to round the corner to the village when Jisung hears it. 

Screams. 

Jeno freezes, gripping Jisung’s shoulder and pulling him back around the bend. Jeno waves and a crevice appears in the wall of rock. 

“Come on.” Jeno grabs his wrist and pulls him into the crevice. He waves his wrist once more and rock shoots up, covering them. 

“They found us, didn’t they?” Jisung asks quietly. It’s inevitable, really. The Fire Nation has been drawing closer and closer by the day. That being said, it’s no less terrifying. 

Their village is lucky to have been left unbothered for years, considering they’re one of the last villages between Ba Sing Se and the rest of the Earth Nation. 

Jeno pulls him into a hug. Jisung is taken aback; he and his brother don’t hug often. It worries him. 

But he hugs back, wrapping his arms around Jeno and resting his head on his shoulder. 

“Jisung, we should be safe here but if anything happens—” 

“Don’t talk like that, hyung. We’re gonna be okay, right?” 

Jeno smiles. Jisung can barely see it in the dark of the cave. There’s a small gap in the top of their hiding spot. 

“Just let me speak, Ji.” 

Jeno takes a deep breath. 

“If anything happens I want you to know I love you, okay? You’re one of the best things in my life and I wouldn’t trade you for anything.” 

Tears well in Jisung’s eyes. Why is Jeno talking like they’re gonna die? 

“Jen, no, stop talking like that we’re gonna be fine, right? We’re gonna be okay?” 

Jeno lets go of him to grip his upper arms. 

“Yes we’re gonna be okay, okay? We’ll just have to put your bending practice on pause for a while, but I’m telling you this in case something happens.” 

Jisung gulps, blinking back tears. “I love you too.” 

Jeno pulls him back into a big hug. “We’ll be okay, Jisung. I’ll keep you safe.” 

“What about Mom and Dad?” Jisung mumbles, resting his head on Jeno’s shoulder. 

Jeno holds him tighter. “They’re tough, they have each other, they'll be fine.” 

Jisung feels like crying. He’s really scared. 

“But,” Jeno says. “If they take me, promise me you won’t go after me.” 

“Hyung.” Jisung frowns. 

“Promise me,” Jeno says quietly. Jisung doesn’t think he’s ever been this serious in his entire life.

“Fine,” Jisung grumbles, crossing his arms. 

“So.” Jeno lets go, instead sitting down in the small space. Jisung sits down next to him. He feels more relaxed closer to the earth. 

Jeno wiggles his eyebrows. Oh great, Jisung knows exactly what’s coming. 

“How’s Chenle?” 

* * *

Chenle grips his air glider, the wood rough under his hands. 

He turns through the air, searching the Eastern Air Temple for the fifth time this month. 

He’s getting tired. He can’t be the last one. There’s no way. 

He lands, air glider folding back up into his staff. 

He’s been searching for five years, about how long it’s been since the Air Nomad Genocide. 

Chenle is, from what he’s seen so far, the sole survivor of the genocide. 

How he survived is simple. He wasn’t at the air temples when it happened. It’s just shocking he was the only one who was out and about. He has a hard time believing there wasn’t a single other airbender who wasn’t at the temples. 

Except the Avatar, but the Avatar disappeared. Nobody knows where he is. 

It’s a shame really, the Avatar disappearing right after learning he was the Avatar. At least that’s how the story goes. He tries not to think about it. 

Chenle was visiting his best friend when the genocide occured. He was lucky, very lucky. He remembers the day vividly. 

He was hanging out with Jisung. Jisung was showing him some earthbending move his brother had secretly taught him when Chenle received a falcon. 

He remembers exactly what the letter said. Every word, every character. 

_ Dear Chenle,  _

_ Don’t come back to the air temples. Don’t. Stay with Jisung for as long as you can. They’re killing us, they’re killing all of us. I love you.  _

_ Love,  _

_ Kun _

It was one of the worst moments in his life. Jisung held him as he cried. He cried and cried. His family was dead, his people were dead. What on Earth did he do now? 

He felt empty. He didn’t want to do anything. He should’ve been a part of those people, those who were slaughtered. 

Jisung helped him during the lowest point in his life. He kept him eating and sleeping. Jisung and his brother and their parents all took care of him. 

Chenle enters the first room of the temple, shaking away the thoughts. 

He jumps when he sees another figure in the room. A baby sky bison. 

It takes all of his will not to burst into tears right then and there. The sky bison is drinking from a fountain in the center of the large room. The baby sky bison turns, immediately cowering behind the fountain. 

“No, no wait, I’m an airbender, not a firebender,” Chenle says, waving his hand and sending a gust of air to swirl over the sky bison. 

The bison jumps in excitement, running around the fountain and jumping on Chenle. He lands hard on the ground with the sky bison on top of him, licking his face. 

Chenle laughs loudly, thrilled to have found another one of his people. Or, bison. 

“Hi buddy, I’m happy to see you too.”

Slowly, the sky bison gets off of him, stepping back and sitting down. 

“You haven’t seen anyone else, have you?” Chenle asks. The sky bison mournfully cries. 

He reaches over, patting its head. 

“I know, bud, I miss everyone too.” Chenle smiles sadly. 

“I think I’m gonna call you …” 

“Bobo!” 

Bobo lickes Chenle’s face. 

“Great! So you like it!” Bobo licks him again. 

Chenle stands and begins to walk. “Come on, Bobo, we’ve got a temple to search.” 

Bobo chirps excitedly, bounding at Chenle’s feet. The sky bison is as tall as him at this point, so it’s probably more like a teenager than a baby. Which means Chenle can probably use it to fly. 

Use her to fly. Bobo is a girl. 

Bobo and Chenle make their way through the temple, checking each and every room. 

There’s no one. Chenle is exhausted. They spent all day searching before they finally settled down back near the fountain they first started. Chenle is hungry, he hasn’t gotten proper food in weeks because he’s just been relentlessly searching. 

“Bobo, where are you going?” Chenle asks. He’s sat down, but Bobo is heading towards the window. 

Bobo yips, dipping out of it and flying off. 

Chenle sighs. And just like that the last thing he has of home is gone. 

But then Bobo returns with a mouthful of vegetables and edible grasses and flowers. Chenle nearly cries in relief. He’s starving. 

They eat in silence until Chenle hears the familiar caw of the Lee family falcon. The falcon flies through a window, landing on Chenle’s outstretched forearm. 

“Hey, bud,” Chenle says, smiling. The bird squawks, holding out its leg and the letter tied onto it. Chenle unties it, taking it in his hand. 

_ Dear Chenle,  _

_ I have bad news.The fire nation attacked our village and took all of the benders. Jeno and I hid so neither of us were taken, but they took our parents and all of the other workers in the mine, and the bending tutors and everyone else in the village who can bend. There are still some fire nation roaming the streets. Jeno and I barely made it back to the house. But we did, and I think we’re safe now.  _

_ You probably shouldn’t visit for a while. I wouldn’t want them to catch you and kill you, because you’re an airbender, or maybe they’d think you’re the Avatar. Haha, imagine if you were the avatar, how cool would that be? Oh! Also, good news! I mastered another move today! That cool one where you pull up a pillar from the ground then punch it and make circles! I just wanted you to know.  _

_ But unfortunately that’s probably the last practice I’ll get in for a while. Jeno and I have to hide that we’re benders now. Luckily nobody in the town knows I’m a bender, but Jeno’s the pride of the village, everybody knows he’s a bender. I’m just so scared someone will turn him in. From now on, I’m the only one allowed to leave the house. Jeno has to stay home. We can’t risk someone seeing him and turning him in.  _

_ I hope you’re doing well. I miss you a lot, I really wish you could visit.  _

_ Take care,  _

_ Jisungie _


	2. Travel Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I can’t believe you’re serious. What’s gotten into you?” 
> 
> “Think, Donghyuck. Freedom. A chance at freedom, at our own lives. I wouldn’t have to be the prince, you would be free of your parents. We could start our own lives. Who knows, maybe we’ll even find the Avatar! Hell, we could help end the war!” 
> 
> Donghyuck blinks. “Did someone poison your breakfast?” 
> 
> Renjun pushes him into the pond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to chapter 2!! this chapter just has brief mentions of neglect

“There you go! Excellent!” Doyoung exclaims. 

Jaemin grins, slowly bending the water down back into the canal. 

“Jaemin, I am very impressed. You are very advanced. I can’t believe we have our own up and coming waterbending master! At only eighteen!” 

Only eighteen. Jaemin has been training since he was thirteen to become a fighter for the Northern Water Tribe. With the war, it’s what all the students are training to be. Jaemin likes waterbending, he really does. And he does think he’s quite good at it. 

But if he’s honest, it’s stressful, and scary. The prospect of joining an army, leaving behind his family to fight firebenders? The thought terrifies him. 

Jaemin bows. “Thank you, Master Doyoung.” 

Doyoung waves his hand. “How many times have I told you just call me Doyoung hyung already? Your brother calls me Doie for goodness sake.” 

“Master, you two are a lot closer,” Jaemin says, smiling. 

“Who’s a lot closer?” Mark comes up from behind Jaemin and slings an arm over his shoulders. 

“Mark, what do you call me?” 

“Doie hyung,” Mark says promptly. 

Doyoung waves again. “See! You can call me hyung.” 

Jaemin sighs. “Alright, Doyoung hyung.” 

Doyoung grins. “Thank you. You’ve been my student for five years! It took you five years to call me hyung,” he scolds. 

Jaemin can’t help but laugh at the appalled look on Doyoung’s face. 

“Alright, Doie hyung, I’ve actually got to bring my brother over to the palace, he’s wanted.” 

“I’m wh—” Mark shushes him. 

Doyoung grimaces. “Good luck.” 

“Good luck? Hyung, what is he—” He’s cut off yet again by Mark grabbing him by the arm and pulling him down towards the canal. 

That’s one of Jaemin’s favorite things about the Northern Water Tribe. The canals. He loves how everyday, even when he doesn’t go out, he gets to go on a boat. It’s like a boat a day guarantee. 

“Mark hyung, what’s going on?” 

“They want to see you up at the palace,” Mark says, paddling down the canal. 

Jaemin’s eyes widen. “Why would they want to see me at the palace?” 

Jaemin and Mark might not be in the slums of the city, but they certainly aren’t the higher up families, living near the palace in the nicest houses. They do live in the city, which is something, but their parents aren’t esteemed or high class. 

Sure, Jaemin is a powerful bender, but he isn’t the strongest the city has seen. Mark is a healer, due to an incident when they were younger leading him to stray from regular bending. They try not to think about it. 

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Mark asks, a small smile on your face. 

“I just don’t know why I’m wanted at the palace,” he answers truthfully. 

Mark sighs. “I’m not sure, but it didn’t sound good.”

Jaemin gulps, paling. 

Mark smiles reassuringly. “Don’t worry Jaemie, I’m sure everything’s okay.” 

The rest of the ride to the palace is silent. 

They walk up to the palace, pausing at the great ice doors. Mark raises a fist, knocking. 

“Ah! Wonderful to see you guys,” Chief Yuta greets. 

Jaemin immediately bows. “Yuta-ssi.” 

“Oh please, no need for that nonsense, Na. Just call me Yuta hyung.” 

Jaemin stares at him in shock. 

“He might have trouble with that, sir. He only just called Doie hyung hyung and he’s been his student for five years,” Mark quips, throwing an arm around Jaemin’s shoulder. 

Yuta laughs loudly. “I like you,” he says to Mark, reaching out and ruffling his hair. 

“Come with me, you two. I have a matter of business to discuss.” 

He gestures with his hand for them to follow him into the building. 

The palace is grand, completely made of ice, and absolutely beautiful. Along the walls of the inside are carvings of old water tribe avatars. In the center in a very large sculpture of two koi fish splashing in water. The ocean and moon spirits. 

The ceiling is high and tall, and the hall he leads them down is large. On the top of the ceiling and along the walls is an intricate pattern carved into the ice. 

“In here,” Yuta says, pushing open a door. 

The room they enter is cozy. It has wooden walls, and is warmly furnished with plush chairs, a desk towards one side of the room, and a deep red rug. 

“Take a seat, please.” Yuta waves his hand. 

Jaemin gulps, but follows Mark’s lead and sits in one of the plush red chairs. 

“I’m sure you boys are aware of the war happening?” Yuta fixes them with a piercing stare. His demeanor has changed, from one playful and inviting to more cold, more serious. 

Jaemin slowly nods. He doesn’t like where this is heading. 

“Our sister tribe is under attack. We need to send someone to go check on the villages.” 

He turns to Jaemin. 

“You’re our strongest bender who isn’t already at war. I’m afraid I must ask you to take on this task.” 

Jaemin’s jaw drops. 

“What?” 

“Will you, with the company of your brother, travel to the Southern Water Tribe?” 

Jaemin gulps. “That would mean travelling across the world?” 

Yuta gives a thin smile. “That is correct, Jaemin.” 

He takes a deep breath. 

Can he really travel across the world? His duty is to his tribe, and he’s been preparing to be a soldier. 

But he’s always liked to stand out, not be another cookie cuttered repeat. He wants to do more than fight in the army. If the Avatar were alive, he’d want to join him. 

“Yes, I accept.” 

* * *

“Donghyuck, I’m seriously gonna lose my shit,” Renjun groans, flopping onto the green grass. 

“That bad, huh?” Donghyuck asks, munching on a handful of fire flakes. 

Renjun rolls over. “Horrible.” 

“At least your parents care about you enough to drag you places with them.” Donghyuck takes a seat on the grass next to the pond. 

Renjun scoffs. “Hyuck, if you want to take my place as their trophy son, then by all means. It is all yours.” 

Donghyuck cracks up at that. “Dude, it’s that or being neglected.” 

Renjun sighs, rolling over to face the pond. 

A baby turtle duck swims over to him, nipping at the finger he’s dipped in the pond. 

Renjun can’t help a smile. He loves turtle ducks, they’re just so cute. As a child he found solace in them, spending his time talking to them whenever he felt sad because of his father (which was often).

Then Donghyuck moved in and his life got a whole lot better. Suddenly he had his first friend. He had someone to talk to, someone to complain to, someone to tease and get teased by. 

Before that he only had his older brother, Sicheng. Sicheng is now at war, though, he's a general. He's their father’s favorite. 

Oh, to be the Fire Lord’s favorite. 

His father hates Renjun. Hates him with a burning passion and it’s  _ obvious  _ how much. It’s obvious in the way he brushes Renjun to the side, in the way he scolds him for every wrong movement. Renjun’s mother does little. She sees Renjun as a trophy child. Something to show off to the other snooty, posh, rich Fire Nation folk. Renjun thinks deep down she cares about him, but she has a shitty way of showing it. 

He hates it. 

Growing up his brother was the only buffer he had. He looked after Renjun, took care of him. He helped him grow and stay alive and happy. 

But now Sicheng’s gone and his parents are far more miserable than before. He wants to run away. 

Maybe that’s it. Maybe he should run away. 

“Whatcha thinkin about?” Donghyuck asks, walking over to the edge of the pond and kicking off his shoes, dipping his feet in the water. 

Renjun rolls over to lie on his back. The turtle duck that was biting at his finger swims away. 

He looks up at Donghyuck. “What if we ran away?” 

Donghyuck’s eyes widen. “What?” 

Renjun shrugs. “I mean, we both hate our parents. Our lives are miserable. What if we ran away?” 

Donghyuck stares at him like he’s turned into a saber-tooth moose lion. “Renjun, you have a lot of crazy ideas, but this one is by far the craziest.” 

He is right about the crazy ideas. Renjun’s mind is always running rampant. It was his idea to create a house for the turtle ducks, and to make a secret hideout inside the palace. 

“That being said,” Donghyuck continues. “I’m not against the idea.” He gulps. 

Renjun pushes himself up to sit, looking at Donghyuck. 

“Really?” 

Donghyuck shifts uncomfortably. 

“I mean, we’re both miserable, so it makes sense but like …” He trails off. 

“Where would we go? How would we get there? We would need to find sanctuary, and there’s no way your dad wouldn’t look for you. Just, what about all of the details?” 

Renjun just stares at him. “You talk too much,” he deadpans. 

Donghyuck rolls his eyes, leaning over and smacking him. 

“I’m serious! Running away is not as easy as it sounds.” 

“Since when are you the voice of reason?” Renjun snorts. 

“Since you gave all your brain cells to that turtle duck.” 

This time Renjun reaches over, smacking Donghyuck. Donghyuck tries to push Renjun into the pond but Renjun manages to swat his hands away. 

“We could just go to the Earth Kingdom,” he says easily. 

Donghyuck gives him an even more appalled look. 

“You can’t be serious. Do you know how far the Earth Kingdom is? We’d have to steal a boat!” 

Renjun shrugs. “Then we steal a boat. I don’t see the problem.” 

Donghyuck gives him another dumbfounded look. Renjun laughs loudly.

“Dude, you should see your face!” 

Donghyuck tries to shove him in the pond again. 

“I can’t believe you’re serious. What’s gotten into you?” 

“Think, Donghyuck. Freedom. A chance at freedom, at our own lives. I wouldn’t have to be the prince, you would be free of your parents. We could start our own lives. Who knows, maybe we’ll even find the Avatar! Hell, we could help end the war!” 

Donghyuck blinks. “Did someone poison your breakfast?” 

Renjun pushes him into the pond. All of the turtle ducks swim far away from the loud splash. 

“Donghyuck, come on, you scared the—Ah!” Donghyuck grabs his ankle, yanking him into the water, fully clothed and all. 

“You bitch!” He splashes Donghyuck in the face. 

Donghyuck laughs loudly. “You pushed me first!” 

“Well, you tried to push me twice!” Renjun giggles. 

Someone clears their throat above them. Renjun groans aloud to see his parents’ servant hovering above them.

“I don’t believe we are five-year-olds anymore, Sir Huang and Sir Lee.” 

“No, we aren’t,” grumbles Renjun, wading over to the side of the pond and pulling himself out of it. 

Donghyuck doesn’t move. 

“Sir Lee.” 

“Last I checked you were his servant, not mine,” Donghyuck says, sinking deeper in the water. 

The servant doesn’t say anything, only glares disapprovingly at Donghyuck. 

“Sir Huang, your parents wish to see you. Go dry off and I’ll meet you outside your room.” 

Renjun sighs. “ _ Meet me in our special room at one _ ,” Renjun mouths to Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck grins, giving a subtle thumbs up just above the water. 

Heart feeling a little bit lighter, he follows the servant back into the house. He isn’t going to have to stay here for much longer. 

_ Dear Sicheng ge,  _

_ I miss you. I hope you’re doing well. I’m writing this letter to you because Donghyuck and I want to run away. I’m praying this doesn’t get intercepted. We’ll be careful, don’t worry. Stay safe. Please don’t kill any civilians. I’ll keep you updated on where we are. Maybe we’ll even get to see you! You’re headed towards Ba Sing Se, right? Love you lots.  _

_ Love, Renjunnie _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we finally meet the rest of dream!! yay!! and they're on the move >:D i wonder what will happen hmmmmm 
> 
> most chapters will be split pov and switching back and forth, typically going jisung/chenle chapter then jaemin/renjun chapter. that being said there are PLENTY of exceptions throughout the fic as needed (we will get pov of the others at some point too :)) 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed the chapter!! see you again on the 10th :)
> 
> \- fran
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)   
>  [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)   
>  [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	3. The First of Many

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We received a report that there was a bender in this house,” one of the soldiers says. 
> 
> “There are no benders in this house,” Jeno says firmly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only cw for this chapter is mild burns!

_ Dear Jisungie,  _

_ I am so so so sorry to hear about your village and your parents. I know exactly how you feel. Stay close to Jeno, let him take care of you; but make sure to take care of him as well. I’m gonna give you the biggest damn hug the next time I see you.  _

_ As for your bending, nice work!! I’m super proud of you, Ji, you’ve come so far in such a short period of time. I’m sure you’ll be a pro before you even know it. I know you’re going to have to put your bending on pause for now, but if you manage to get away from the village and we get to see each other, I’d love to see what you’ve got. I’m sure you’ll get to practice again.  _

_ I found a sky bison! A baby one, kinda. I think she’s a teenager. I named her Bobo. I dunno why, it just fit. Like in some past life I had a pet named Bobo. It was weird. I think you’ll love her, and she’ll love you too. I can’t wait for you two to meet. Two babies meeting. Haha.  _

_ Stay safe Jisung, just promise me you’ll stay safe. I miss you a lot, too.  _

_ Take care, Ji. _

_ Chenle  _

Jisung is stressed. It’s only the day after their parents were taken. They need to eat. 

Jisung is coping. He’s coping poorly, and he’s already cried a wet spot onto Jeno’s shoulder, but he’s coping all the same. The only person he wants to see more than his parents is Chenle. Oh, what he’d give for a hug from his best friend. 

He’s at the marketplace, purchasing some fruit for dinner. It doesn’t look nearly as good as it used to. The fruit that is. But he supposes that’s what happens when half of the villages in the Earth Kingdom have become Fire Nation colonies. 

He snuck out in the morning before Jeno woke up, leaving a note. He wanted to get into the village before everyone else was awake to avoid as much human contact as possible. 

“Jisung?” Jisung looks up, meeting the gaze of Johnny, one of the older non-benders. He’s an axe wielder. Relief floods through him. Johnny is essentially part of the Park-Lee family; he attends their holiday celebrations and has been present for every single one of Jisung and Jeno’s birthdays. He helps Jisung pick out birthday gifts for Jeno and his parents. 

“Oh my god, Jisung. I’m so glad to see you. I was so worried.” Johnny pulls him into a hug. 

“Do they know?” Johnny whispers, holding Jisung tighter. Jisung carefully shakes his head. 

“From now on I’ll bring you boys food,” he says lowly, letting go of Jisung and instead throwing his arm around the younger boy. 

Jisung is shorter than Johnny, which is rather uncommon. He grew taller than Jeno just a couple months ago, and he’s already taller than both his parents. 

“Thanks, hyung,” Jisung says. 

“How’s your brother doing? Your parents?” 

Jisung’s face falls. That tells enough for Johnny to pull Jisung into another big hug. 

“Who did they take?” He whispers directly into Jisung’s ear. 

“My parents,” Jisung mumbles, burying his face into Johnny’s shoulder. It hurts. He misses his parents. 

Johnny rubs Jisung’s back in a comforting manner. 

“I’m so sorry, Jisung.” Johnny presses a gentle kiss to his forehead. 

“Let’s finish shopping and head back to your home,” Johnny suggests, handing Jisung an apple. He takes it, dropping it in his bag and tossing the lady behind the counter a gold coin. 

“Happy birthday, by the way. You’re finally seventeen!” Johnny exclaims, clapping him on the shoulder. 

Jisung grins. That’s right, he had forgotten it was his birthday. 

He turns back to the counter, grabbing a bit more fruit. 

“You aren’t a bender, are you?” The lady asks, eyeing him up and down. 

Jisung shakes his head carefully. “No, ma’am,” he lies through his teeth. 

She seems to buy it, nodding. “They took my husband. I would hate for them to take you too.”

Jisung grimaces. “I’m sorry to hear that.” 

She waves a hand. “This isn’t the first time he’s gotten in trouble with the Fire Nation, he’ll be back.” 

“Do you know where they took him?” Jisung asks curiously, picking up a couple more apples. 

“Down the river, to the ships. I don’t know where they’re taking them after that.” 

Johnny’s hands land on his shoulders. “It’s been nice to talk to you, but we must get going.” 

She smiles. “Have a nice day, boys.” 

“Thank you, you too,” Jisung says. 

They make their way down the street, before Johnny claps him on the shoulder once they’re outside his house. 

“I’ll see you soon, Ji,” Johnny says, smiling. He gives Jisung one last hug. “Give Jeno a big hug for me. And stay safe.” 

Jisung grins. “Will do.” 

Jisung waves to Johnny, walking down the street with his bag of fruit. 

He drops his bag when he sees a group of Fire Nation men outside of his and Jeno’s house. Jisung’s heart rate increases. 

“I told you there are no benders in this house,” Jeno argues, standing in the door of the house. 

“We received a report that there was a bender in this house,” one of the soldiers says. 

“There are no benders in this house,” Jeno says firmly. 

One of the men draws his sword. Jisung races forward. 

“Wait! Wait! He’s telling the truth.” Jisung raises a hand. The closest Fire Nation man turns to him and Jisung’s heart skips a beat. He raises his own hand, punching a large flame towards Jisung. 

Jisung shouts, stumbling backwards and raising his arms to protect his face. The horrible burning heat scorches his forearms. He lets out a cry of pain. 

“Jisung!” Jeno shouts, shoving the Fire Nation soldier who shot the blast. 

“Go on!” The soldier shouts. “Bend!” 

Jisung drops to the ground at the second blast, curling in on himself. It hurts. His arms burn. The second blast goes over his head, luckily. 

“I said bend!” 

Jisung wants to yell in opposition, tell Jeno not to bend. Shout to him that he’s fine. 

There’s another wave of heat but it only lasts a few seconds before it stops and he hears a shout of glee. A large slab of rock separates Jisung from the rest of the soldiers.

“Hyung, no!” Jisung shouts. He stands, gripping his burning arms. The rock expands, stretching longer and longer so Jisung can’t run around it. 

“Jeno hyung, stop!” Finally the rock stops moving, and Jisung rounds it to see the Fire Nation soldiers dragging Jeno away, already far in the distance. 

“No,” Jisung whispers. 

“No no no no no.” He drops to his knees. He reaches up, gripping his hair. 

This can’t be real. He chokes on a sob. 

“Johnny hyung!” Jisung shouts, scrambling to his feet. He ignores the screaming pain in his arms.

He runs through town, banging on Johnny’s door. 

“Hyung!” Jisung cries. “Hyung, please open up, hyung.” he sinks to his knees. 

“Jisung? Holy shit, are you okay?” A hand lands on his shoulder. 

Jisung holds out his arms pathetically, tears streaming down his face. 

“They took him,” he sobs. Johnny pulls him off the ground. “I have to find him, hyung.” He takes a shuddering breath. “I have to.” 

* * *

_ Dear Chenle,  _

_ Help. Please help. They took Jeno, they took him from me. I don’t know what to do. I ran straight to Johnny’s. I have to go after him, I don’t have a choice. I’m gonna go after him. The lady at the fruit stand said he’s at the bay. I’m gonna go. Johnny said he can’t come with me because he has to protect the village, but he gives his best.  _

_ I’d love to meet Bobo. I miss you more than ever.  _

_ Take care, stay safe, _

_ Jisung.  _

The first thing Chenle notices is that there are teardrops on the page. 

Fuck. 

“Bobo!” Chenle calls, running through the halls of the temple. Jisung needs him. He needs to get to Jisung. Oh, and on his birthday too. The poor boy. Chenle checks his pockets. He still has Jisung’s birthday gift, a small trinket he found in the Southern Air temple. 

This is the part where Chenle mentions his giant, massive, huge-ass crush on his best friend. Luckily, the Air Nomads were always very accepting of all sorts of love so he never had to worry about that being the problem. The Water Tribes don’t really care either; in fact, they encourage it. Some old story about the Ocean and Moon Spirits falling in love.

The Fire Nation is about as homophobic as it gets. Which makes sense in Chenle’s opinion. They all have sticks up their asses. The Earth Kingdom is the only one Chenle doesn’t know about. Which is unfortunate, because Jisung is the cutest earthbender he’s ever met. 

Chenle continues to sprint through the temple. He needs to get to Jisung, he can’t bear the idea of Jisung suffering alone. He knows he has Johnny but he just lost his parents and Jeno in two days. 

He knows that isn’t easy. 

And besides, Jisung was there for him when he lost all of his people. It’s only fair that Chenle is there for Jisung when Jisung loses the most important people in his life. 

But they’re still alive, and Chenle has a hunch they’re gonna be on their way to take out some Fire Nation ships pretty soon. 

“Bobo!” Geez, where is that sky bison? 

He nearly trips over his feet when something lands in his path. He stutters to a stop. 

There’s a winged lemur on the ground, blinking up at him with wide eyes. 

“Oh, uh, hey buddy,” he stutters, taken aback but pleasantly surprised. 

“I’m in a bit of a rush. I need to fly somewhere before nightfall, but you can come with me if you promise to be quiet?” 

The lemur hops onto his shoulder. 

“Great. I’ll let Jisung name you, but we really need to get going.” He starts to sprint again, talking to the lemur on the shoulder. 

Distracted, he runs directly into a large furry mass at the end of the hallway that knocks him onto his butt. 

“Bobo!” He stands and hugs Bobo. 

“Okay, Bobo, the sun is just setting so we need to leave now. You have a saddle, so if you don’t mind I’m gonna ride on you so we can get to Ba Sing Se in time before sunrise.”

Bobo sounds in agreement. Chenle clambers onto her back, lemur on shoulder and glider in hand. 

“Yip yip!” Bobo takes off into the sky, Chenle’s hands on the reins. 

The Easter Air Temple is a ways from Ba Sing Se, but not too far. And Chenle has faith in his new sky bison friend. 

The flight is silent, leaving Chenle to ponder what’s to come. 

Going to Jisung’s village is dangerous, especially now. But he’s danced with Fire Nation soldiers before. He’s essentially an airbending master, he can take them. He’s been training for five years using the old scrolls and scripts on the walls. If anything he’s more worried about Jisung, who’s an amateur bender at best. 

Oh, Jisung. Chenle has known Jisung for years, since they were each about seven years old. They met in the summer. Chenle was travelling for fun—against the monks’ wishes of course—when a storm knocked him out of the sky. He landed right in the middle of Jisung and Jeno’s two-person ball game. Jisung thought he was an angel, while Jeno recognized his now-destroyed glider from some of his textbooks, and was the more logical of the two in pointing out that Chenle was an airbender. 

The two became immediate friends. Chenle joined their game on Jisung’s side. Together the two kicked Jeno’s ass, which delighted Jisung, who allegedly never won. Chenle finds himself smiling fondly at the memory. 

Then he sees it. The grand city of Ba Sing Se. 

Chenle has flown over Ba Sing Se plenty of times, but he’s never actually entered Ba Sing Se before. It seems like a glorious city. Except when Chenle flies over it, he can very clearly see layers. Ugly layers. There’s the outermost ring, full of poor and hungry, which is a stark contrast to the highest ring, where the elite live happy and full. 

He’s also heard rumors of dark propaganda hiding the war from everyone in the highest ring, so they live a peaceful life of ignorance about the horrors surrounding them. 

They probably think there are still airbenders. 

Chenle flies over Ba Sing Se quickly, and then he spots it. Jisung’s village. He lands in a nearby forest, tethering Bobo to a tree and instructing his new lemur friend to stay with her. He can’t risk them giving him away. He doesn’t think he could beat all of the soldiers that appear to have infected Jisung’s town. 

Lucky for Chenle, Jisung’s house is on the outskirts of town. Chenle sprints over to it, using his airbending so that he’s light on his feet. He reaches Jisung’s house shortly, opening an unlocked window (Jisung should really lock that) and slipping in. 

He hurries over to Jisung and Jeno’s shared room, a small room in the corner of the house. The door is cracked open. Chenle peers in to see Jisung lying awake, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression on his face. 

Chenle swears his heart breaks. 

He knocks softly on the door, taking a step forward. 

Jisung shoots up in an instant, turning to see Chenle standing timidly in the doorframe. 

“Chenle? Wh-what are you doing here?” Jisung cautiously takes a step off the bed. 

“Hi, Jisungie. I had to come see you,” Chenle says quietly, mindful of the thin walls and the time of night. 

“Lele, you shouldn’t be here, it’s far too dangerous,” Jisung argues.

Chenle crosses into the room, walking over to Jisung. 

“You know I had to, Ji.” He rests a hand on Jisung’s cheek. Jisung leans into it, closing his eyes. 

His shoulders begin to shake. Chenle watches as tears slip from Jisung’s eyes. He pulls the younger boy into his arms, tucking Jisung’s head into the crook of his neck. He rests a hand in Jisung’s hair, soothing him. 

“You’re okay, Jisung,” Chenle whispers. 

“They took them all from me,” Jisung wails, body lax in Chenle’s arms. 

“We’ll find them, I promise we’ll find them.” He loosens his hold on Jisung, guiding the boy to sit on the bed. Jisung immediately tucks himself into Chenle’s side, sniffling quietly. 

“What if we don’t find them?” he mumbles. 

Chenle continues to card his fingers through his hair. 

“We will find them. We can start looking tomorrow, how does that feel?” 

Jisung nods, sniffling still. He blankly stares across the room. 

“Yeah, let’s do that.” 

Chenle carefully pushes his bangs back, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Happy birthday, by the way,” he says. 

He pulls the small trinket from his pocket. It’s an old airbender mind game, a series of wooden pieces linked together. The goal of the game is to undo them. 

Jisung has always liked games, even if Chenle beat him all the time. So Chenle would always bring old airbender board games or card games whenever he went to visit Jisung. He even took him to the Northern Air Temple once to play air ball. That went poorly. 

He hands Jisung the small trinket. Jisung immediately fiddles with it. Jisung has always been a curious person, just by nature. 

“The goal is to separate all of the pieces.” 

Jisung hums in acknowledgement, turning it in his hands. 

“I’m gonna go bring Bobo and my new lemur into the house, you stay here and fiddle with that.” 

Jisung nods. 

Chenle wants to sigh. He’s more silent than usual. But Chenle understands why. He knows how Jisung’s feeling. 

He’s quick in bringing Bobo and the lemur into the house. And successful. Nobody catches him or even sees him. It’s times like these that Chenle’s grateful the Park-Lees have a large living room. 

He hears a small gasp from the doorway, turning to see Jisung holding the separated pieces. 

Chenle laughs. “I thought it’d take you longer than that, Jisung.” 

Jisung gives a small smile. Chenle nearly sighs in relief. He hasn’t seen Jisung smile once since he arrived. 

He places the pieces on the mantle of the fireplace then walks over to the sky bison, who immediately licks Jisung’s face, eliciting a giggle from him. Chenle’s heart soars. 

“You’re gonna help us find—AH!” The lemur pops out from behind Bobo’s head, jumping onto Jisung’s head. Jisung freezes, turning around to face Chenle with a look of horror on his face that Chenle has to try hard not to laugh at. 

“Chenle,” Jisung says, panicked. “What is on my head?” 

“Relax, Sungie, that’s just a winged lemur.” Chenle holds out his arm, and the winged lemur jumps onto it instead. 

“That means he likes you!” Chenle says brightly. 

Jisung gives him a bewildered look before taking a couple steps closer and holding out his arm. The lemur jumps onto it, nuzzling into Jisung’s cheek. 

“What are their names?” Jisung asks. 

“The sky bison is Bobo,” Chenle informs. “The lemur I figured I’d let you name.” 

Jisung stares at the lemur for a couple seconds, blowing air into his cheeks. 

“Nono,” he finally says. 

Chenle raises an eyebrow. “You’re naming our lemur after your brother?” 

Jisung shrugs. “I dunno.” 

Chenle smiles, walking over to Jisung and pinching his cheek. “I like it. You’re cute,” he says, loving how Jisung’s cheeks turn a cute pink. 

“I’m sure when we find Jeno hyung he’ll be thrilled to know you named a lemur after him,” Chenle says, giggling. 

Jisung cracks a smile at that. 

“You’re right. When we find him.” 

Chenle grins. He raises his hand for a fist bump, which Jisung happily returns. 

“When.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh spaghetti-o. what's gonna happen D: poor jisung. writing this chapter was painful i will not lie. do we think jisung will listen to jeno and not go after him? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ and chenle!! finally our first chenji crumbs uwu. anw, see u on the 15th w the next chapter!!
> 
> hope u enjoyed! stay healthy & safe  
> \- fran
> 
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	4. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey, Jaem, how’s packing going?” Jaemin jumps at the voice, turning to see Yangyang, his best friend, hanging in the doorway. 
> 
> “Yang!” Jaemin exclaims, standing and engulfing Yangyang in a hug. 
> 
> He's really gonna miss Yangyang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWs for this chapter: Graphic Depictions of Violence and parent injuring their child (think zuko, it's still canon-typical violence)

Jaemin carefully places a second pair of clothes in his backpack. He’s never left the city before, not even to travel into the other villages above the city. Jaemin knows only the canals and the icy streets. Nothing more and nothing less. 

“Hey, Jaem, how’s packing going?” Jaemin jumps at the voice, turning to see Yangyang, his best friend, hanging in the doorway. 

“Yang!” Jaemin exclaims, standing and engulfing Yangyang in a hug. 

“I never would’ve expected you’d get picked for a journey, you used to suck ass at waterbending.” 

Jaemin sticks his tongue out at him. “Well clearly not,” he retorts. 

Yangyang grins. “Good luck, Jaem. I believe in you.” 

Jaemin raises an eyebrow. “Do you really or are you just saying that to appear supportive?”

“What do you think?” Yangyang laughs brightly. 

“But seriously, Jaemin, just don’t do anything I would do and you’ll be fine.” 

Jaemin snorts. “And what about things you wouldn’t do?” 

“Yeah, don’t do that either.”

Jaemin shakes his head fondly, throwing another pair of socks in his bag. 

He and Yangyang met at school. They were classmates for years, and friends for just as long. Yangyang is a nonbender, and would always be the first to ask about Jaemin’s bending. And the first to laugh at any failures he may have had. 

They’re quite close, and Yangyang is arguably Jaemin’s oldest friend. He’s a teasing little shit sometimes, but Jaemin loves him all the same. 

“Jaemin,” Yangyang says. He sounds oddly serious. 

“Are you sure about this?” He asks. Jaemin stands, closing up his pack. 

Jaemin gulps. 

“Not really, but I have a duty.” 

Yangyang gives him an unimpressed look. “Really, Jaem?” 

Jaemin sighs. “I do, Yang, you know I do. I’ve been training to join the army.” 

He sighs again. “I’d rather go on my own journey than join the army like every other soldier.” 

Yangyang nods slowly. “Yeah, that’s pretty admirable.” He claps Jaemin hard on the back, causing Jaemin to stumble forward. 

“Well, since I knew you were leaving, I wanted to give you this.” He pulls a sheathed knife from his pocket, pressing it into Jaemin’s hands. 

Jaemin stares at him with wide eyes. 

“I’ve had this for years, but I never knew where it came from. It kinda just showed up one day. I know your brother has his spear, but you’ve never had a weapon because you’ve had your waterbending. So I wanted to give you this, in case your waterbending fails.” 

Jaemin takes the knife in his hand, turning it over in his palms. He unsheathes it, revealing an ombre blue and white blade. Twine wraps around the wooden hilt, holding it together. The blade appears to be the tusk of an arctic hippo. 

“Just don’t get attacked by a polar leopard, okay? Not like when you were an idiot kid.” 

Jaemin smacks him. 

He may have lied earlier. He has left the city before. He wandered directly into the cave of a polar leopard. It’s a miracle he wasn’t killed. 

“Thank you, Yang,” Jaemin says genuinely. 

Yangyang just shrugs. “I had to give you something so your idiot ass wouldn’t die.” 

Jaemin can’t even be upset with him. He knows this is how Yangyang shows affection. 

He places the knife back in its sheath, then secures it on the outside of his pack. 

“Jaem,” Mark says, appearing in the doorway. “We need to leave soon, are you packed?” 

Jaemin nods, throwing his pack over his shoulder. 

He opens his arms, stepping over and giving Yangyang a large hug. 

“Stay safe, Jamie. I better see you again.” 

Jaemin nods. “Thank you, Yang. See you soon.” 

With that, Jaemin follows his brother out of the room, waving bye to his friend. 

“Mark,” Jaemin says. “Do you think anything bad is going to happen?” 

Mark looks at him, surprised. “What makes you ask that?” 

Jaemin shrugs. “We’re travelling across the world in the middle of a war. There’s no way nothing goes wrong.” 

Mark knocks their shoulders together. “You’re thinking too much, Jaemin. We’re going to be just fine. We’re gonna travel by boat half the way there. As long as we avoid Fire Nation territory, we avoid any trouble.” 

“I guess,” Jaemin mutters. 

They walk down to the docks, where there’s a large ship waiting. 

“Do I get a crew?” Jaemin asks Mark. 

Mark grimaces. “It’s just us. There aren’t enough people to send out.” 

Jaemin nods. “That’s fine.” 

Jaemin knows how to sail. Yeah. Yeah, he can definitely sail. 

Jaemin has gone sailing a couple times. He doesn’t count these in his times he’s left the city because he’s still done it within the city walls. He’s shit at it. Absolutely shit at it. He can steer quite well, but when it comes to the ropes he is positively useless. He can’t do it. He just can’t. He mixes them up, he pulls them in the wrong directions, and he absolutely cannot tie them properly. 

“Minnie! Markie!” Jaemin turns to see his mother standing next to the ship. 

She walks up to him, reaching with gloved hands to cup his face and kiss his forehead. 

“My two babies, you go do well. Make momma proud.” 

Jaemin smiles, ignoring the tears in his eyes. 

“I love you, Mom.” She pats his cheek. 

“I love you too sweetie.” She pulls him into a quick hug. Jaemin kisses his mother’s cheek. 

Jaemin turns to his father, who’s clapping Mark on the back. 

“My other son! Kick ass and do your duty.” He engulfs Jaemin in a big hug. 

“Stay safe, boys,” their mother says. 

Jaemin reaches out, taking Mark’s hand and stepping onto the ship. 

He watches as his father unties their boat. The water benders stationed on top of the wall open it up, allowing them to sail through. 

“Goodbye! I love you both!” Jaemin shouts, waving to his parents. 

They make it through the wall and it drops closed. 

They’re off. 

* * *

“You really think we could just walk out the front door?” Renjun asks. 

He and Donghyuck are in their secret room, a room they found running around when they were kids. There are all sorts of hidden passageways all around the palace. Renjun is proud to say that he and Donghyuck have found them all. 

Donghyuck shrugs. “I mean, I doubt anyone would stop us. We could just tell them we’re going camping for a few days. They’d believe it.” 

“Donghyuck, neither of us have gone camping in our entire lives. Fire Nation royalty don’t go camping, that just isn’t a thing we do.” 

Donghyuck snorts. “Actually, my parents accidentally locked me outside twice, so I have gone camping.” 

“Uh huh, because that counts.” 

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Lighten up, Jun, you’re so tense.” 

Renjun shifts uneasily. “I’m not sure, Hyuck, I just have a bad feeling.” 

Donghyuck’s face shifts to one of concern. “You okay?” 

Renjun nods. “I think I’m fine. Yeah.” 

“Let’s keep planning, the thought of leaving this place brings tears of joy to my eyes.” 

Donghyuck laughs loudly. “You said it.” 

“So I think we could sneak out through the graveyard, you know. There’s a passage that leads through there.”

Donghyuck’s face lights up. “That’s perfect, Junnie!” 

“Awesome!” Renjun grins. 

“When should we leave? Tomorrow?” 

Renjun nods. “Gives us enough time to pack.”

“Good call.” 

“You have a sleeping bag, right?” Renjun asks. 

“Yep.” 

“Okay good.” 

While they never did go camping formally (Renjun is pretty sure his mother is allergic to bugs and dirt), they would camp out in the various secret rooms around the palace. Renjun hates his bedroom, it’s large, empty and cold. There’s no life to it because he was never allowed to decorate it how he likes. Something about formal presentation or some other bullshit. Donghyuck just avoids going home as much as possible, so he spends a lot of time at the palace with Renjun.

Donghyuck sits up from his beanbag. Once they began visiting their favorite secret room regularly, they took a couple trips downtown and completely refurnished it, as they wished they could do with their rooms. The walls are covered in paintings and swords and other cool stuff. Additionally, they placed a small table and two beanbags in the corner of the room, as well as a larger table in the center of the room for board and card games. 

Renjun’s life is a much better life with Donghyuck in it. 

They go their separate ways after discussing what to pack. Renjun heads back to his room, packs a small bag, then hides it under his bed. They’ll leave tomorrow night. 

Then he rests. 

* * *

“Renjun, Renjun, wake up.” His mother shakes him awake urgently. 

Renjun pushes himself up to sit. This isn’t right. He isn’t supposed to be up for another hour or so. 

“Mom? What’s happening?” His heart pounds in his chest. This can’t be good. 

“Your father saw your letter to Sicheng.” 

Renjun’s blood runs cold. Fuck. 

“What?” 

“He saw it, and he demands you in the throne room immediately.” 

Renjun slips out of bed as his mother leaves the room. He quickly changes, putting on the fancy-ass royal getup of a Fire Nation prince. It is fashionable, he’ll admit, but he hates it. And he hates how he looks in red. Maybe he’ll dye his black hair grey or something cool once he leaves. He’s pretty sure they have hair dye in the Earth Kingdom. 

Well. If he makes it to the Earth Kingdom. He has a bad feeling now that his father intercepted his letter. With his luck he’ll end up trapped in a dungeon for the rest of the year, that’s something his father would do. 

Maybe he should just run away right now. Slip out through the passageways before he has to go face his father. That should save him some trouble. 

He probably isn’t as scared as he should be. But his hands are sweating and trembling, and the closer he gets down the hall the more nervous he is. Is he going to be challenged to an Agni Kai? No way, his father wouldn’t do that. 

He walks into the throne room, kneeling in a full bow. 

“Hello, Father.” 

His father scoffs. “Do not call me that, you disrespectful, ungrateful piece of shit!” 

Renjun winces. All mean names, but nothing he hasn’t heard before. He’s gotten better at blocking it out. 

“Hello, Firelord.” 

“Much better,” his father snarls. 

“Stand.” 

Renjun stands. 

“I am going to show you what we, here in the Fire Nation, do to traitors before we banish them.” 

Renjun perks up at the word banish, maybe a bit too noticeably. 

“Yes, banish. You will be getting what you want, Renjun.” 

He paces back and forth, in the most ominous way he possible could. 

“We need to make sure a traitor never forgets he is from the Fire Nation. In fact, we make it impossible to forget he is from the Fire Nation.” 

His father’s hand alights. He holds flame in his palm. 

Renjun puts two and two together. Fear shoots through him. 

He takes a step back, only for both of his upper arms to be grabbed by guards. He’s pulled forward towards his father. He struggles in their grasp, trying to break free. 

“Don’t,” he begs. “Please don’t.” 

His father grins a cruel grin. “You know I don’t have a choice, Renjun. You wrote that letter.” 

He tries to pull away, but it’s futile. His legs are kicked out from under him and he drops to his knees. 

“Please, please don’t.” 

His father scoffs. “So pathetic.” 

He raises his hand, fire still burning, and presses it to the side of Renjun’s face, right over his left eye.

Renjun screams, screwing his eyes shut. The pain is positively unbearable. He can’t breathe. He can’t feel anything except the searing heat, scorching the side of his face. 

It burns. It burns unlike anything he’s ever felt before. It’s the worst pain he’s ever experienced. Then it gets hotter, and Renjun screams louder. 

“That’s enough!” A voice shouts. His father’s hand leaves Renjun’s face. The soldiers release him. He drops onto his hands, a choked sob escaping him. 

He feels like he’s about to black out. The pain is unbearable, and he can’t handle it. He wants to press his hands over his face in an attempt to feel some relief, but he knows if he touches it it’ll only burn more. Instead he stays hunched over on the floor, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from screaming anymore. 

He hears hushed voices around him, but they’re echoey, bouncing around, unbalanced. 

Tentatively, he reaches up, choking on a sob when he finds a bloody mass where his ear used to be.

“Help,” he chokes out. “Somebody please help.” 

He’s about to black out when calloused but gentle hands reach down, helping him to his feet. He stumbles along, allowing himself to be gently guided. 

“Junnie, can you hear me?” A voice asks from his right side. He nods. 

“I came as soon as I got your letter. I would scold you but I don’t think that’s helpful right now.” Ah, it’s Sicheng. 

“Help,” is all Renjun can utter. It hurts so bad. His head hurts. 

“Junnie, just …” Sicheng’s voice dies out, and Renjun’s entire world goes black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um ... i really am sorry ahhhhh sorry renjun :((( 
> 
> thank you for reading! see you all on the 20th :)
> 
> \- fran
> 
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	5. Imprisoned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Should we investigate?” one of the Fire Nation soldiers asks. 
> 
> A pause.
> 
> “Nah, it’s not worth it. Besides, I heard there was another bender at the Lee-Park household. That other kid was probably just hiding it.” 
> 
> Jisung swears he feels his heart stop. Chenle gasps quietly next to him. 
> 
> Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just minor violence for this chapter!

“Jisung, Jisung, wake up.” Jisung is shaken awake. He opens his eyes to see Chenle hovering over him. 

“Chenle?” Jisung asks, pushing himself up. Which proves to be a mistake, as he finds himself mere inches from Chenle’s face. His heart skips a beat. 

Jisung’s been feeling weird around Chenle lately. His heart beats faster, he wants to look at him more. He kinda wants to hold his hand and he even wants to kiss him? It’s weird, he’s never felt this way about anyone before. He doesn’t quite know what’s going on. 

Jisung knows he can’t just kiss Chenle, that would be even weirder. So instead he just sits with these thoughts. He’d been meaning to talk to Jeno about them, but now of course he can’t do that. Jeno would probably say he has romantic feelings or some fancy shit. He’s probably right. 

“Jisung? Did you hear a word I said?” Chenle pouts cutely. 

“Uhh …” Jisung did not hear a word he said. He was too busy thinking about his feelings. 

“Well, first I asked what happened to your forearms because you never mentioned that last night, and then I told you there’s someone knocking at your door.” He bites his lip nervously. 

Jisung sits up quickly at that. “Uhm, I’ll tell you about my arm after. I’m gonna go get the door. Stay hidden.” 

Chenle nods. 

Jisung slips out of bed, walking over to the front door, which is luckily down and to the side, out of sight of the living room. 

He opens the door to see Johnny holding a bag of groceries. He breathes a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God it’s just you. Come in.” 

He steps aside, opening the door a bit more to let Johnny in. He closes it quickly afterwards. 

“Um, Jisung? Why is there a giant fluffy thing in your living room?” Johnny asks, walking into the kitchen and setting down the bag. 

Chenle pokes his head up from behind the sky bison. “Johnny hyung!” He exclaims. 

“Chenle! Good to see you,” Johnny says warmly, before scowling. “You shouldn’t be here, Lele, it’s far too dangerous.” 

Chenle purses his lips. “I’m sorry, hyung, but after I received Jisung’s letter, I had no choice.” 

“That is fair, I guess.” Johnny sighs.

Chenle’s face lights up. “Anyways, hyung, we’ve got a busy day today.” He walks over, grabbing Jisung’s hand and pulling him towards the window. 

Johnny raises an eyebrow. “Doing what?” He crosses his arms. 

“Scouting out the enemy ships for tomorrow.” 

Johnny grimaces. “I know you kids want to save Jeno, but I really don’t think you should do this.” 

Jisung, who has remained silent for the majority of the conversation, sighs. “Hyung, I just lost my entire family.” He feels numb. 

“You know I have to do something.” 

Johnny goes to say something but stops himself, sighing. “I can’t stop you, but at least take one of your brother’s weapons with you?” 

Jisung nods. “I will.” 

“Wait,” Chenle says, turning to Jisung. “You never said what happened to your arms.” 

“I’ll give you boys some space. Be safe.” Johnny slinks out of the room. Jisung hears the front door close behind him. 

Jisung takes a deep breath. “The Fire Nation soldiers burned me,” he says, voice breaking.

“They burned me so that they could force Jeno to use his earthbending.” 

A tear slips down his face. “It was so scary, Chenle, so scary.” 

Chenle coos, wiping a tear off Jisung’s cheek. 

“It’s okay, this time I’ll be with you!” He says brightly. “I’m great at kicking Fire Nation booty!” 

Jisung giggles, knowing he’s telling the truth. 

Chenle has come back with numerous stories from his adventures fighting soldiers before the genocide. Stories of him punting Fire Nation soldiers off large cliffs, of losing Fire Nation boats that were shooting fireballs at him, of fighting off six men at once with his hands behind his back. 

Okay, Jisung isn’t entirely sure about the legitimacy of the last one, but he gives Chenle the benefit of the doubt. 

He pulls Jisung into a big hug. Jisung immediately relaxes in his arms. 

Something Jisung learned very quickly about Chenle is that Chenle is clingy. He’s clingy, he’s a hugger, he’s the equivalent of a ray of sunshine. That being said, he can absolutely be a little shit sometimes, teasing Jisung to no end. 

Jisung has gotten very accustomed to Chenle hugs. Chenle is light on his feet and floaty with hugs, sometimes hovering the slightest bit off the ground to be the same height when hugging Jisung, it’s cute. Jisung loves hugging Chenle. He feels so safe and warm. 

“Don’t worry, Jisungie, if any more firebenders even try to hurt you, they’ll get blown into next week!” Chenle exclaims, stepping away. 

Jisung smiles gratefully. 

“Now let’s head out, we gotta find out where those ships are.”

Jisung nods. He follows Chenle back out the window. Nono follows them, hopping onto Jisung’s shoulder. Jisung jumps at first, but relaxes. 

They creep quickly over to the forest, slinking along the trees in silence as they head towards the bay. Jisung is shaking with nervousness. He’s not an earthbending master, and he can’t take down an army. 

But he has to get his family back. He needs to. 

Chenle must notice his discontent, because a hand slips into his. 

Chenle’s hands are soft, and much smaller than Jisung’s. His hands aren’t tough and calloused like Jisung’s. He supposes this is the difference between airbenders and earthbenders. 

They continue to sneak through the forest until Jisung sees the first ships. 

“There!” He whispers. They’re just where they expected, right next to the Serpent’s Pass. 

Jisung has been taught, ever since he was young, to never go through the Serpent’s Pass. Instead they should take the boat. But the boat to Ba Sing Se operates from Full Moon Bay on the other side of the Serpent’s Pass, not the side their village is on. Sure, it’s only another few hours of walking but it’s not forested, so it’s dangerous. 

He and Chenle creep closer to the ships. Jisung is about to exit the forest when Chenle pulls him back. 

“You want to go now? We should really wait until the night.” 

Jisung frowns, but shrugs. “I guess you’re right.” 

Chenle smirks, something that does things to Jisung’s heart. “I’m always right.” 

“Uh huh, sure you are, Lele.” 

Chenle laughs loudly. “Jisungie come on, you …” He trails off, looking past the trees. He yanks Jisung behind a large tree. Chenle holds his finger up to his mouth in a shushing motion. Jisung freezes, listening intently. He hears two voices. 

“You sure you heard something?” 

Jisung can barely breathe, his breaths shallow. Chenle squeezes his hand. 

“I mean I don’t see anything but I swear I heard something.” 

“Should we investigate?” 

A pause.

“Nah, it’s not worth it. Besides, I heard there was another bender at the Lee-Park household. That other kid was probably just hiding it.” 

Jisung swears he feels his heart stop. Chenle gasps quietly next to him. 

“I heard something again!” 

“Nah, dude, you’re just hearing things. Let’s go get that other kid. Besides, they pay more for actual benders than kids hiding in the forest.” 

“Good point, Lee.” 

Footsteps fade away. 

Jisung turns to Chenle fearfully. Chenle doesn’t look stressed, quite the contrary actually. 

“Jisung, this might sound crazy but …” He trails off. 

Jisung stares at him in shock. “No way, Chenle, wait. Chenle, no, I don’t want to go with them.” 

“I’ll get you out, Ji. I’ll head over at soon, that way you can inconspicuously make sure your family is ready to go. It’s the best way.” 

Jisung frowns. He really doesn’t want to be taken by Fire Nation soldiers. It sounds terrifying. Fire Nation soldiers are terrifying.

“Please, Jisung? It might be the only way.” 

Jisung has to think about it. 

Chenle does make a good point. This might be their only chance, the only way. 

“Fine.” 

They quickly make their way back to the house. They have to get there before the soldiers do; otherwise the soldiers may break in and see Bobo. 

They make it back through the window just as there’s a knock on the door. 

“Fire Nation. Open up!” 

Chenle squeezes his hand, standing on his tiptoes and pressing his lips to Jisung’s cheek. 

“I’ll come get you, Jisung. You’ll be just fine. I promise.” Jisung shakily nods. His heart is pounding. Not only is he just about to hand himself over to the Fire Nation but Chenle just kissed him on the cheek! Holy shit!

Jisung walks over to the door, shakily opening it to see two Fire Nation soldiers. He blinks back tears. 

“Yes, sirs?” 

“We heard reports of another bender in the household.” He lights his hand on fire. 

“Why don’t you step outside, kid.” 

Jisung does as he’s told, stepping out of the door and closing it behind him. 

“Bend or we’ll burn half your face off.” 

Jisung quickly brings a circle of rock from the ground. Holding it in his hand, he changes it into a stone turtle duck. 

The first soldier tugs his arms roughly behind his back. He grabs Jisung’s wrists in one hand, tying them together. 

“If you try any funny business,” the second soldier says. He lights his palm on fire and nods to it. “Understand.” 

Jisung fearfully nods. He doesn’t want to be burnt again. 

They shove him out of town, practically dragging him towards the ships in the distance. They reach them shortly. The front of the ship opens up to allow Jisung to be shoved up the gangway. He stumbles, nearly falling over as he struggles to stay on his feet without his hands to balance. 

He finally loses his balance just as they reach the top of the ship. Jisung tumbles to the ground, his shoulder hitting the hard metal roughly. He grunts, rolling over on his back to sit up when a foot lands on his chest. 

“Try any funny business and we’ll kill you, got it?” The first soldier says, pressing down harshly. Jisung nods. 

“I got it, I got it!” The soldier lifts his foot off of Jisung’s chest. 

Jisung gulps. He doesn’t know how they’re gonna get out of this one. 

He sits up, carefully standing. The soldiers are gone now, but Jisung’s hands are still tethered behind his back. He finally turns around, surveying the rest of the ship. 

“Jisung!” Someone shouts. His mother and father push through the crowd of people. 

His mother immediately pulls him into a hug. Jisung rests his head on her shoulder. Jisung’s father steps behind him, carefully untying his wrists. 

“Oh, sweetie, we were so worried about you. We’re upset they got you, but at least now we can look after you. What about Jeno? How’s Jeno?” 

Jisung pales. “You mean Jeno’s not with you?” 

His mother frowns. “He never showed up here, that’s for sure. This is the only ship they’re keeping us on.” 

“They took Jeno from me yesterday,” Jisung rushes out. 

“Oh dear,” his mother says. 

“But, Mom, I’m here to help you guys get out,” Jisung says, voice hushed. 

“Chenle came. We’re gonna break you out, then we’ll go find Jeno.” 

“They’re taking other prisoners to the other side of the Great Divide. There’s a plain stretch of land on the other side of the river,” a voice says. 

“Jaehyun hyung!” Jisung exclaims, rushing over and pulling him into a hug. 

Jaehyun is another family friend of theirs, and another strong bender. However, he was in an accident a couple years prior, and has to use a crutch because of his bad leg. 

“Wait, so to get there you would have to cross the Serpent’s Pass and the Great Divide?” Jisung asks.

Jaehyun nods solemnly. Jisung gulps. 

“You aren’t going to try that, are you?” His mother asks. 

Jisung laughs sheepishly. “Well …” 

His mother stares at him in shock. “Jisung, you cannot! It is far too dangerous.” 

“Mom, I can’t just leave Jeno behind. He’s my brother!” 

His mother frowns. “I know, sweetie, but I can’t lose you both.” 

“But Mom, I need him,” Jisung says. “He’s my brother.” 

“I understand.” She sighs. “He’s my son, but you’re my son too. I can’t lose both my boys.” 

“But I—”

“No.”

Jisung frowns. “I have to.”

“You don’t have to. We can wait until the war ends.” 

“Dad, help me out here.” 

“I don’t think you should go either,” his father says. “You’ve only been earthbending for two years. You’re too inexperienced.” 

“I’ll have Chenle with me,” Jisung reasons. 

“Chenle shouldn’t be with you. Chenle should be hiding at the temples, where he’s safe,” his mother says. 

Jisung huffs. He’s getting annoyed. Do they not understand how important Jeno is to him? Do they not realize he  _ needs _ Jeno. “I’m going to save him. You can’t stop me.” 

His mother gasps. “Park Jisung, how dare you—” 

Then it happens. Just as the sun dips below the sky, the entire ship lifts from the water, landing on the hard ground. 

“Everyone! Earthbend!” Jisung shouts, standing. He creates a large pillar of stone from the ground, bringing it up to be higher than the tall ship. 

Fire Nation soldiers come from the insides of the ship, running out of the bottom and the front. Jisung watches with pride as the earthbenders of his village begin to fight back, bending against the soldiers. Jisung turns to the side, creating a large slide for him and his parents to escape on. 

“You head down first,” Jisung says. His mother kisses him on the forehead. 

“This conversation is not over,” she says. 

Jisung gulps. She goes down the slide, then Jaehyun, then his father. Jisung is just about to follow them when a hand grabs his bicep and yanks him backwards. He struggles against their hold but the person is taller and stronger than him. Jisung reaches out with his free arm, closing his eyes and bringing up a pillar of stone. 

But then he realizes there's nothing he can do. If he launches anything at the man, he hurts himself. Fuck. 

He’s about to reach around instead and punch the guy when another hand grabs his other arm. He tugs against them but it’s in vain, and he’s dragged into the front of the ship. Just as they’re trying to bring Jisung through the door, he brings his foot up, kicking the second guy in the crotch. He groans, letting go of Jisung’s arm. Jisung regains his footing, turning to punch the other guy in the face. Jisung quickly stumbles away, sprinting over to the edge of the ship. He ducks as fireballs fly past him. One lights the sleeve of his shirt on fire. 

“Jisung!” Someone shouts. He turns to his right to see Chenle on Bobo, floating next to the ship with his hand outstretched. 

Jisung turns and sprints, leaping off the side of the ship. He brings stone up to meet his feet as he runs through the sky, finally reaching Chenle’s hand. Chenle immediately flies them off, dodging fireballs left and right. 

But Jisung can feel himself slipping from Chenle’s hold. 

“We need to land!” Jisung shouts as they fly over the forest in the direction of the Serpent's Pass. 

Chenle begins to dip towards the trees. Just as they reach the foliage, Jisung’s hand slips. He goes tumbling to the forest floor. He quickly bends a rock slide, cushioning his fall. 

Jisung lies on the cold forest floor, groaning. He shrinks the slide back into the ground. 

“Jisung! Holy fuck, are you okay? I’m so sorry.” Chenle rushes over to kneel next to him. 

“I’m good, all good,” Jisung says, pushing himself up. 

“Think you can make a stone hut for us to spend the night in?” Chenle asks. 

Jisung nods. He closes his eyes and creates a large teepee between the trees surrounding them. 

Jisung finally relaxes. Chenle is by his side and his parents are free.

“Let’s sleep in shifts.” 

Chenle nods. “You sleep first, you just went through a lot,” Chenle says. 

Jisung yawns. He nods gratefully. He rolls over, curling on his side. Without thinking, he rests his head on Chenle’s lap. 

Chenle makes a noise of surprise, but rests his hand in Jisung’s hair. 

“Goodnight, Jisung.” 

Jisung yawns once more. 

“Goodnight, Chenle.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh looks like chenji have to go on an incredibly dangerous journey to save jeno, i sure hope nothing happens. who knows? maybe they'll even meet some friends ;). sorry for the later update! hope you enjoyed~ stay healthy & safe my homies <3
> 
> see you on the 25th! 
> 
> \- fran 
> 
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	6. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first half of their travels go well. 
> 
> Hopefully the second half, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw just for minor panic and light violence

The first half of their travels go well. 

Jaemin learns very quickly that he loves sailing. He’s not too bad at steering, as he navigates them through multiple large icebergs. Mark handles the ropes. 

“Hyung, how do you feel about all of this?” Jaemin asks. 

Mark sighs. “I think a little bit more warning would’ve been nice.” 

Jaemin snorts. “Yeah, they really did spring it on us, didn’t they?” 

“That’s what you get when your brother’s the best bender in town.” 

Jaemin rolls his eyes. “Hyung, please. If I was the best then they’d send me off in the army,” he reasons.

“No way, Jaem. You should’ve heard how they talked about you. They need someone strong enough to cross the globe!” 

Jaemin laughs sheepishly. “Hyung …” 

“I’m serious!” 

“Don’t say stuff like that, it’s too cheesy.” 

Mark rolls his eyes. “Yeah yeah, let me just be …” He trails off, staring in the distance. 

“What is it? Hyung?” 

Mark pales. “Dolphin piranhas, right up there.” Mark points. Jaemin’s eyes widen. 

Sure enough, swimming in a large circle is a school of dolphin piranhas. Dolphin piranhas are the size of a normal dolphin, but have large, pointed teeth, and are known to attack ships and eat humans. 

“Um, hyung? You have a plan right? We’re kinda sailing right towards them?” Jaemin tries to keep the panic out of their voice. 

Mark splutters. “I have no idea, Jaem.” 

Jaemin’s jaw drops. “Hyung! Can we go around?” 

“There’s no space.” Mark bites his lip. 

“Jaem, I think you’re gonna have to bend us out of this one.” 

Jaemin pales. “Hyung, how on earth am I supposed to bend our way out of this one? It’s not like I can make a whirlpool under the water that sucks them all out of our way and …” 

“Oh,” he giggles. 

“Do that quickly, please.” 

“Yeah, yeah, quit nagging,” Jaemin says, closing his eyes. 

Feel the water. Feel it move under your control. He opens his eyes, slowly twisting his hand. A whirlpool begins to form where the dolphin piranhas are hanging out. He watches as they each get caught in the whirlpool, displaced as far as Jaemin could throw them. 

They sail through the previously infested area with ease. 

Jaemin lets out a sigh of relief. He’s even more relieved when he sees land a couple minutes later. 

He loves the water, he really does, but he’s grown a little tired of it, and more than a little anxious.

He much prefers the canals of the city, with only the occasional sea creature.

“Hyung, what will we do with our ship when we land?” 

Mark shrugs. “Probably just leave it here.” 

Jaemin gulps. He doesn’t really like the sound of that. 

They land along the beach. Jaemin hops off the boat, knife in a sheath on his belt. 

“Mark hyung, where are w—” He’s cut off as a rope with two weights on either end flies out of nowhere, wrapping around him and trapping his arms next to his body. He falls to the ground with a yelp, struggling against the binds. 

“Jaemin? What’s wrong?” Mark hurries over to the edge of the ship. 

“Stay on the boat!” Jaemin cries, just as figures come out of the trees. 

A large, burly man walks over, pulling him up to his feet by a fist in his shirt. He has long hair, a long beard, and wears all black ninjalike clothing. 

“Well, you look like a fish out of water,” the man says, releasing his shirt in favor of grabbing his upper arm and yanking him towards the forest. Jaemin stumbles along, struggling to stay upright. 

“Let’s go, fishboy.” 

Jaemin snorts. “Is fishboy really the best you’ve got?” He taunts. 

Jaemin isn’t really a fan of this situation, but he sure as hell isn’t going to be some pansy pushover prisoner. No way. He’s gonna let these snobs know what he thinks. 

The man growls animalistically. “Shut up or I’ll make you shut up.” 

“That sounds like something my ex girlfriend would say.” 

_ Smack! _

A hand collides with Jaemin’s cheek. He yelps in pain, a sharp stinging in his cheek. 

“Wow, you also smack as hard as she does,” he lies. Should he really be provoking him? Probably not. But is he annoyed? Yes. He’s sure if Mark was here, he’d tell Jaemin to shut up. 

Another smack, to his other cheek. This time it’s harder, and Jaemin quickly shuts up. 

They drag him over to a makeshift campsite, where he finds himself tethered to a tree. 

“Wow, you guys really suck at tying ropes,” Jaemin quips, uncapping his water sack with one hand and slicing through the ropes. The ropes fall to the ground and Jaemin quickly fixes his stance, spreading his legs to ground himself. 

“He’s a bender!” The large man who grabbed him shouts. 

“That means he’s even more valuable,” another man says, rubbing his hands together. 

It only takes a couple seconds for Jaemin to realize he is greatly outnumbered. That is until a spear flies down from the sky, striking the first man in the shoulder. Jaemin looks up at the tree behind him to see Mark crouched within. 

Jaemin moves his arms fluidly. He creates a water whip to snap at the men surrounding him. Jaemin knocks them down one by one, hitting them mostly in the eyes. Strong enough to knock them down, but not enough to do any real damage. 

“Come on, Jaem, let’s go!” Mark shouts, dropping down from the tree. He grabs his spear and Jaemin’s wrist, pulling him through the forest, running as fast as they can away from the hunters. 

“Mark hyung, who were those people? They weren’t wearing red like the Fire Nation,” Jaemin says as they sprint along. 

“They were probably just not in uniform, or given a different uniform. Either way, they’re probably waiting for people like us.” 

Jaemin gulps. He hears shouting behind them. 

“I have an idea,” Mark says. He sprints over to a nearby tree and scales it, hiding in the brushes. Jaemin follows his lead. He climbs a tree across from it sitting as deep in as he can. 

He hears rumbling footsteps. He peeks through the leaves. The gang of men run past them, completely oblivious. 

Jaemin makes himself comfortable on the branch. He has a feeling he’s going to be there for a while. 

* * *

They’re given a ship. 

Sicheng had to pull every single string he could so they’re given a ship. He and Donghyuck depart first thing in the morning. Renjun is gently woken up by Donghyuck, who stares at him with sad eyes. 

“Hey, Junnie,” Donghyuck says, sitting down on his bed. There’s a thick white bandage wrapped around Renjun’s head. 

Renjun groans. He rolls over but then immediately rolls back, having jostled the bandages.

His face feels like it’s on fire. The pain is searing. 

“It hurts,” he whimpers. 

“I know,” Donghyuck says gently. “But we need to go.” 

Donghyuck stands. Renjun slips out of bed, taking the pair of clothes Donghyuck hands him. He changes clumsily in the bathroom. He nearly falls multiple times. 

“Donghyuck, I can’t stand,” Renjun says, stumbling out of the bathroom. 

A hand lands on his left arm, the side he can’t see. “I’ve got you, Renjun. Let’s get out of here.” 

Renjun leans almost entirely on Donghyuck, letting him lead them out of the room and the castle. Renjun doesn’t bother bidding goodbye to his parents. They’ve shown that they don’t care; they want him gone. 

“Sicheng hyung left this morning, he told me to bid you goodbye,” Donghyuck says quietly as he helps Renjun down the steps of the palace. 

Renjun nods. “I’ll send him a falcon thanking him for the ship.” 

They slowly make their way down the steps, Renjun with an iron grip on Donghyuck’s arm. He nearly trips once they reach the bottom, Donghyuck having to hold him up. 

“I hate this,” Renjun grumbles, tears welling up in his eye. His other eye is closed tight under the bandage. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever be able to see out of it again. 

“It’s okay, we’re escaping, we’re gonna be okay from now on.” 

The rest of the walk to the ship is quiet.

Donghyuck carefully helps him up the ramp, and slowly the two reach the top. 

“Do you want to go lie down or …” Donghyuck asks tentatively. Renjun releases his arm, trying to walk over to the cabins himself. He stumbles slowly along. An arm wraps around his waist. 

“Let me help you, Renjun,” Donghyuck says firmly. 

“I don’t need help,” Renjun grumbles. He feels like a little kid. 

“Renjun, please,” Donghyuck begs. 

“Fine.” 

Donghyuck helps Renjun to his cabin, helping him sit down on his bed. He lies down, closing his eye. 

“Donghyuck …”

“Yeah?” 

“Why? Why did my own father do that to me?” 

Donghyuck frowns, kneeling down next to his bed. “I don’t know, Renjun. I wish I did know, but I’m so sorry, I don’t.” 

Renjun feels like crying. Tears well in his eye.

“I’m gonna have a scar for the rest of my life. I might never see or hear again out of that side,” he cries, tears streaming down the side of his face. Donghyuck helps him up to sit, taking a seat next to him on the bed. 

“I’m so sorry, Renjun.” He wraps an arm around Renjun’s shoulders, around his good side. Renjun rests his head on Donghyuck’s shoulder.

“It really, really hurts,” Renjun mumbles. It burns. 

“I wish I could take your pain away, Junnie. If I could I would do it in a heartbeat.” 

Renjun sniffles, quietly sobbing. Donghyuck just holds him, rubbing his hand up and down his side in a soothing manner. 

“You’re safe now, Renjun. I told them to set course for Omashu. We’ll be safe there.” 

Renjun continues to cry. Safety. He had safety, he gave up safety. But was he really safe? If his own father was willing to hurt him so horribly so quickly. With such little remorse or mercy. 

“I thought I was his son,” he cries. “Who brutally burns their son?” 

Donghyuck doesn’t say anything. 

“You’re gonna be okay, Renjun, you’re gonna be okay.” 

Renjun wails. 

“Just trust me, Renjunnie, please,” Donghyuck begs. Renjun can hear that he’s about to cry. 

“It hurts so bad, Hyuck.” 

“I know, Renjun,” Donghyuck sniffles. “I’m so sorry.” 

Renjun’s sobs slowly die down to quiet sniffles. 

“Why don’t you rest,” Donghyuck gently suggests. 

Renjun shakes his head, moving to stand. Donghyuck catches him when he falls. 

“I need to get back my firebending,” Renjun says. “I can’t be so weak.” 

“Renjun. No. You’re not fit to be firebending right now. Are you sure you can even handle seeing fire?” 

Renjun gulps. “Try me.” 

Donghyuck sighs, but makes a flame in his hand. Immediately Renjun’s heart rate and breathing shoot up. He stumbles back, slipping out of Donghyuck’s grip and landing on the ground. He brings his hands up to cover his face. He has to get away from the fire. He has to get away. 

“Renjun! Renjun! The fire is gone, you’re safe.” Donghyuck shakes his shoulder. Renjun snaps up, looking at him. Donghyuck shows his empty palms. 

“See? No fire.” 

Renjun nearly starts crying again. 

“I’m just gonna sleep,” he says miserably, taking Donghyuck’s outstretched hand and standing. 

Donghyuck helps him into his bed and Renjun closes his eyes. 

“Goodnight, Renjun.” 

“Goodnight.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Renjun TT he's gonna need some serious time to heal. He'll get it, don't worry. But there's the chapter!! I hope you all enjoyed, I'll see you on the first with the next one! Stay safe & healthy
> 
> \- fran
> 
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	7. The Serpent's Pass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A giant, green and purple sea serpent flies out from the surface of the ocean. Jisung freezes, staring up at it. It has a mouth as large as Bobo, a long snout. Its mouth is full of razor sharp teeth. 
> 
> Suddenly Jisung understands why it’s called the Serpent’s Pass.

“Jisung, wake up.” Someone gently shakes his shoulder. 

“Jisung, come on,” they drag out their voice. 

“Go away, Jeno, let me sleep,” Jisung grumbles, rolling farther away from him. 

His bed isn’t as comfortable as he remembers. 

“Not Jeno, sleepyhead.” 

Chenle. 

Jisung shoots up. His head hits something very hard. Chenle’s loud laugh infiltrates his ears. 

“You dummy, did you forget we’re in a rock tent?” Chenle asks. 

Jisung groans, holding his head. It throbs. “Owww.” 

He scoots over, properly sitting up and finally opening his eyes. He’s met with Chenle’s bright smile. 

“Are you okay, though? It doesn’t hurt too bad, right?” 

“It’s fine,” Jisung says. Chenle ruffles his hair. 

“Good. We’re crossing the Serpent’s Pass today, can’t have you injured for that.” 

“Ah, fuck, that’s right.” 

Jisung moves his arms down fluidly, and the rocks surrounding them return to the ground. Jisung makes eye contact with a Fire Nation soldier. He immediately brings the rocks back up around them and turns to Chenle. 

Chenle’s eyes are wide and his hand is over his mouth. 

“Oh, fuck,” Chenle whispers. A soldier bangs on the wall of the tent. 

“Open up!” Someone shouts. “Or we’ll blow you out of there.” 

Slowly, Jisung looks to the top of the tent. The small hole at the peak makes his blood run cold. 

“Chenle, what do we do?” Jisung asks, panicked. 

“Okay, don’t panic,” Chenle says, standing in the center of the tent. 

A plume of smoke billows through the hole in the top. Chenle cries out, shutting his eyes. He covers his head with his arms. 

“Chenle!” Jisung shouts. 

“That was a warning!” A voice from outside shouts. 

Jisung bites his lip. The smoke clears and Chenle opens his eyes. 

‘On three,’ Chenle mouths. 

He raises one finger. Then a second. Then a third. Jisung brings his arms down and stands up, the rocks disappearing. Immediately a gust of wind blows by him. He hears shouts as he turns to see the Fire Nation soldiers being blown farther into the forest.

“Jisung!” He’s yanked out of the way by a hand on his upper arm. He turns to see the dark red mask of a Fire Nation soldier. He flings a small rock from the ground at the soldier’s head. It bounces off the helmet with a ding. He brings up a sheet of rock, forcing the soldier to let go of his arm. 

A hand grabs his, and Jisung stumbles to follow Chenle over towards Bobo. 

“Come on, climb up.” Chenle climbs onto the sky bison, grabbing makeshift reins with his free hand. He waves his other hand again. Another gust of wind circles around them, knocking back the Fire Nation soldiers that got up. 

Jisung climbs onto the sky bison. He takes handfuls of her fur, scooting as close to Chenle as he can so that he doesn’t fall off the back. 

“Yip yip!” Chenle calls. They lift off into the air. Jisung screeches. 

“I don’t like this, Chenle,” he says. He’s an earthbender. He’d much rather stay on the ground. 

Chenle laughs brightly. “You can hold onto me if you’d like.” 

Jisung takes his offer in an instant. He wraps his arms around Chenle’s waist and holds on as tight as he can. He rests his cheek on Chenle’s shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Can we land soon?” He asks, the wind blowing in his brown hair. 

Chenle laughs again. “Sure, Ji, we’ll land.” Jisung can barely hear him over the wind. 

Chenle doesn’t say anything for a while. Eventually the wind stops blowing in Jisung’s face. 

He opens his eyes, relieved to see ground again. Shaking, he lets go of Chenle and slips off Bobo. Jisung happily lands on his back on the ground. 

“Oh, I’ve never been so happy to see Earth,” he sighs. Chenle giggles. 

“You’re cute, Jisung. But now we gotta go across the Serpent’s Pass.” 

Jisung shoots up. “Fuck.” He scrambles to stand, brushing off his clothes and turning. There is the large lake, and the thin stretch of land known as the Serpent’s Pass.

“That’s a whole lot thinner than I thought it was,” Jisung says weakly, turning back to Chenle. Chenle grimaces. 

“It’s not too bad. Bobo can fly along next to us with Nono. I’d say we can all just fly across, but Bobo can’t handle both of our weight for that long. And somebody doesn’t like to fly.” Chenle nudges Jisung in the side. Jisung sticks his tongue out. Bobo grunts, narrowing her eyes at him. Jisung squints at her and she huffs, turning up her nose. 

“Your bison’s got some attitude,” Jisung scoffs. 

“She’s a teenager.” Chenle waves flippantly. “And hey, you be nice to my bison or I’ll shove you in the lake.” 

Jisung shivers at that thought. He has always preferred to keep his feet on the ground. He hates swimming, he hates flying. He hates climbing trees and dipping his feet in the river. He’s happiest when he’s on ground. He actually never learned how to swim. 

Hopefully, that won’t prove to be a problem. 

“Come on, Ji. The sooner we get across this the sooner we get to Jeno.” 

Jisung gulps, but nods. They make their way over to the beginning of the pass. Jisung’s hands shake as they walk into the thin strip of land. Next to the thin, walkable part of land is a tall wall of rock, much like the ones Jisung would pull from the ground. 

Jisung is comforted by the sight of Bobo flying next to them with Nono on her back as they walk along single file. The pass is too thin for two to walk side by side. 

He braves a peek over the edge, nearly screaming when he sees the long fall into the water. His legs shake as he walks. 

“Jisung,” Chenle says, reaching out a hand. Jisung snatches it. He’s too scared to feel awkward or flustered about holding his hand despite what his pink cheeks may say. 

Chenle squeezes his hand. “We’re gonna be fine.” 

Jisung nods, gulping. He peers over the edge again, yelping as rocks crumble under his feet. 

“Jisung! Quit looking over the edge,” Chenle snaps. 

“Sorry!” Jisung yelps. 

Chenle rolls his eyes. “Don’t apologize to me, you’re the one you’re scaring.” 

“Oh, right.” 

Chenle giggles and Jisung’s heart skips a beat. 

“So, Jisung, let’s talk to get your mind off the impending doom.” 

“Chenle!” 

Chenle laughs brightly. 

“Tell me about your new moves, the one you wrote about.” 

Jisung grins. “I can show you it later. Pretty much I create a pillar of rock, then punch spheres of rock towards my enemies.” 

“That’s cool, Ji!” 

“What about that one you used earlier? I’ve never seen it.” 

“I call it the tornado,” Chenle says. “Even though it can be used to shoot stuff out instead of suck stuff in.” 

“That’s cool. It sure saved our asses earl—Ah!” Jisung shouts, the rock gives out below him. His hand slips out of Chenle’s and he drops into the water, just far enough from the rock that he can’t grab it, or bend any rock to him. The water is cold, and Jisung feels his limbs tense. 

“Chenle!” He shouts, struggling to keep his head above water. He flails desperately. He has no idea what to do. He doesn’t know how to move his limbs. His head dips beneath the water. 

Then something  _ touches his leg. _

He shrieks. 

There’s a splash next to him. Just as his head dips beneath the waves again, arms loop under his own, holding him up and pulling him over to the edge. 

“Jisung, I need you to bend a small ledge,” Chenle gasps. Jisung does as he says. A shelf of rock shoots out from the side with enough space for Chenle and Jisung to sit. 

Jisung grabs the ledge, shakily pulling himself up. He collapses onto the earth, curling in a ball. Chenle pulls himself out of the water as well. He sits criss-cross on the platform. 

Jisung can’t help but throw himself forward, tackling Chenle in a hug. Chenle freezes before wrapping his arms around Jisung as well. 

“That was so scary,” Jisung says. “I couldn’t swim or breathe and then something touched my leg and just—” 

“I’ve got you,” Chenle cuts him off. “You’re safe, Jisung. I wouldn’t have let you drown.” 

Jisung shakily takes a breath, burying his face in Chenle’s shoulder. Embarrassed, he pulls away. 

Chenle waves. A warm, gentle gust of wind blows past Jisung, drying him off and warming him up. 

“Thanks, Lele,” Jisung says. 

Chenle smiles. “You’re welcome. Wanna bring us back up to the top?” 

Jisung nods. He brings his hands up. Their platform moves until it’s level with the thin passage from before. Jisung stands, helping Chenle to his feet. 

“Thanks. Let’s keep moving,” Chenle says, lacing his fingers with Jisung’s and continuing to walk down the pass. 

“We aren’t going to have to spend the night, are we?” Jisung asks. He bites his bottom lip and peeks at the sun, high in the sky. 

Chenle hums. “I sure hope not. That wouldn’t be very fun.” 

Jisung shakes his head. “No, no it wouldn’t be. Maybe we can walk a bit faster?” He suggests. 

“Sure.” 

They quicken their pace, slowly jogging up and down the rolling hills of rock. At some point the path switches so that it’s no longer on the side of the thin crests, but on top of them. Jisung definitely misses the secure wall of rock that had sat to his right, but it’s fine. 

“You good, Ji?” Chenle asks, slowing down briefly. He turns to look back at Jisung, who nods. 

They make it over another crest when Chenle stops. Jisung promptly runs into him. 

“Lele, why’d you—” He cuts himself off when he sees the lack of road. He steps to the side, standing next to Chenle and squeezing his hand. 

“What do we do?” Jisung asks. Chenle twirls his staff in his hand. 

“I think I can fly us across,” he says, opening his glider. “I’d say we could use Bobo but …” He trails off, glancing at Bobo who’s already floated to the other side. “I think she doesn’t like you much.” 

“Okay, so.” Chenle releases Jisung’s hand, instead wrapping his arm around Jisung’s waist. “Grab onto my shoulders with your one arm, and with your other hand I want you to just hold onto the glider,” he instructs. 

Jisung does as he says, grabbing onto the glider with his other hand and wrapping his arm around Chenle’s shoulders. 

Chenle kicks off, and into the air they go. Jisung grips the glider so hard his knuckles turn white. If flying on Bobo was bad, this is ten times worse. Even worse—they’re flying over water. Water that has something in it; water that’s who knows how deep. 

“Are we almost there?” Jisung asks, panicked. He has to close his eyes. He’s so scared. Chenle’s arm tightens around his waist. 

“We’re almost there, Jisung.” 

“That’s good, ‘cause I’m about to cry,” Jisung says, voice shaking. 

“Open your eyes, we’re about to land,” Chenle instructs. 

Jisung opens his eyes. The first thing he sees is a pair of large bright eyes staring up at him from the water.

He screams. 

“CHENLE, THERE’S SOMETHING LOOKING AT US LIKE WE’RE DINNER!” He shrieks. Fear shoots through him. He nearly starts crying right there. Tears well in his eyes. 

“Jisung, relax. We’re gonna be fine.” Chenle is still looking ahead. 

Jisung can’t help but cry. He’s so scared. There’s something in the water. Something big, something staring at them. 

Finally, finally they land. Chenle folds his glider but doesn’t let go of Jisung. 

Jisung buries his face in Chenle’s shoulder, crying hard. 

“Jisung, I’ve got you, we’re safe on land. Nothing’s gonna hurt you,” Chenle whispers. 

Jisung pulls away. “I saw it, Chenle! It was staring right at me,” he cries. 

“I saw it! It was big and had big eyes and it’s gonna eat us,” he wails. 

As if on cue, a giant, green and purple sea serpent flies out from the surface of the ocean. Jisung freezes, staring up at it. It has a mouth as large as Bobo, a long snout. Its mouth is full of razor sharp teeth. 

It’s huge. Absolutely gigantic. Suddenly Jisung understands why it’s called the Serpent’s Pass. 

“Oh my fucking God,” Chenle whispers, taking a couple steps back. He grabs Jisung’s hand and pulls him along. 

“What the fuck!” 

It screeches loudly. Then it turns, facing Jisung and Chenle. 

It goes for a strike. Chenle waves his staff, sending a gust of wind flying towards its face to knock it backwards. It only roars louder. 

Jisung takes a few deep breaths, tears streaming down his face. Chenle sends another gust of wind towards the serpent. 

He can’t let Chenle fight this thing alone. A sneaky tail flips up from the water, whacking Chenle across the chest. He flies backwards, slamming into the rock behind them. 

“Chenle!” Jisung shouts. “Fuck!” 

Bobo moves in front of Chenle, facing the serpent and growling. 

Jisung creates a pillar of stone, moving his arms up. He moves behind it, punching sphere after sphere in the direction of the serpent. One hits it in the eye, another in the mouth. 

“Fuck you!” Jisung shouts. It screeches louder, and Jisung stumbles back. 

It dodges his next attacks, then shoots straight towards him, mouth open wide. He brings his arms up to cover his face, eyes squeezed shut. He braces himself for pain, but it never comes. 

He opens his eyes, shocked to see a large, thick wall of rock in front of him. 

“Need any help?” A voice asks. Jisung whips around to see a man with black and teal hair walking down the pass. 

“Oh dear, he doesn’t look too good.” Bobo reluctantly moves and he kneels next to Chenle. Jisung sprints over, kneeling next to him as well. Chenle is out cold. 

“Will he be okay?” Jisung asks fearfully.

The man takes Chenle’s wrist in his hand, pressing on the inside of it. 

“His pulse is steady. He might ache for a while, but unless he hit his head he should be fine.”

Jisung nods, gulping. 

“Let me take care of that sea serpent now.” The man stands. He turns, bringing down the large sheet of rock and instead bringing up a smaller sheet in front of Jisung. Which, unfortunately, prevents Jisung from seeing what happens. 

He turns, focusing back on Chenle. He shakily brushes Chenle’s hair back from his forehead. 

“Lele,” he says, shaking his shoulder gently. 

“Lele, please wake up.” He shakes a bit harder. 

“Come on, Chenle,” he murmurs. He reaches into the water next to them, taking a handful of liquid and dumping it on Chenle’s face. 

Chenle groans, rolling over nearly into the water. Jisung catches him with a yelp. 

“Chenle! You idiot,” Jisung says. Chenle’s eyes flutter open. 

“Jisung?” 

He blinks again. 

“Oh fuck! The giant serpent!” Chenle scrambles to sit up. He groans again. 

“Oww,” Chenle whines. “Everything hurts.” 

“Well, you did just get slammed into rock by a giant sea serpent.” 

“Shut up, Jisung.” 

Jisung snorts. 

“To answer your question about the serpent …” He brings down the giant wall of rock, revealing the stranger fighting the serpent. 

Jisung turns to watch, taking a seat next to Chenle. The stranger is currently kicking large spheres of rock at the serpent. He hits it repeatedly. He’s doing what Jisung attempted to do, except better and stronger. 

Finally, after about twenty rocks, the serpent slithers back into the water, defeated. 

“That was awesome!” Chenle exclaims. “The way you just went pow, pow, and kapow!” 

Jisung snorts. Chenle’s cute. 

The stranger smiles, laughing brightly. “My name is Taeyong. What on Earth are you two doing here? It’s too dangerous for kids.” 

“Hi, Taeyong! I’m Chenle, and this is Jisung.” Chenle floats to his feet, extending a hand and helping Jisung up. 

Taeyong raises an eyebrow. 

“You’re an airbender.” 

Chenle immediately pales, ducking behind Jisung. Jisung gulps. 

“Please don’t hurt him,” Jisung says, bracing his stance. He knows he can’t win against this guy, but he can at least try. 

Taeyong raises his hands. “Relax, I won’t hurt him. Is he the Avatar?”

Chenle scoots out from behind Jisung, gripping his staff. “I’m not the Avatar. I don’t know where he is.” He lowers his head. 

Jisung slips his hand into Chenle’s for support. 

“And what are you two boys doing on the Serpent’s Pass?” 

Jisung gulps. “We’re going to save my brother,” he says, voice trembling. “He’s being kept below the Great Divide.” 

Taeyong nods, humming. “Well, I wish you best of luck on your journey. A piece of advice, then, young earthbender. In order to create bigger, you must move bigger. Exaggerate your movements to create larger results.” 

Jisung nods diligently. “Thank you.” 

“And Chenle, maybe consider investing in a headband? That arrow is rather distinct. I know your black hair covers it for the most part, but I could still tell you were an airbender.” 

“Yeah, okay, we’ll look into that.” Chenle nods. 

Taeyong smiles thinly. “Best of luck, boys. If you go now you should make it out before nightfall.” 

“Thank you for saving our lives.” Jisung bows deeply. Taeyong waves his hand. 

“No need for that, it was my pleasure. Take care boys.” 

“Thanks, you too,” Chenle responds.

Chenle squeezes Jisung’s hand. Jisung watches as Taeyong creates a series of pillars, walking across the gap. 

“Come on, Jisung, let’s get out of here.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew. was worried for a second we wouldn't get past that but! they did, go chenji! and taeyong :O wowee. anyways. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!! see you on the 5th with chapter 8!
> 
> \- fran


	8. Breaking the Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This ocean is his to explore, his to be free in. He can go anywhere in the whole world.
> 
> He’s free now.

“I miss the water,” Jaemin whines. “I hate land. Why couldn’t we have just sailed all the way to the South Pole?” He drags his feet along. 

Mark sighs, walking about five feet in front of him. “Jaemin, please, you’ve been whining and dragging your feet for an hour.” 

He frowns. “I just miss the ice, hyung. I hate dirt. There’s dirt on my nice shoes. I don’t want dirt on my nice shoes.” 

Mark walks over to a tree, banging his head against it. “We can wash your shoes once we find a lake, but for now you’re gonna have dirty shoes for a little while.” 

“We’ve been walking for an hour, can we stop now?” 

“Let’s just go until we find some freshwater? I’m really thirsty, Jaem.” 

Jaemin sighs, but continues walking. “Fine.” 

“How do you think the Southern Tribe is going to be?” Jaemin asks as they walk. 

Mark shrugs. “I’m really not sure. They could’ve been attacked by now for all we know. We haven’t heard from them in a while.” 

Jaemin shivers at the thought. “I sure hope they haven’t been attacked.” 

“Me, too, Jaem. Me too.” 

They continue walking in silence. 

“There!” Mark suddenly shouts, hurrying forward, pack bouncing as he runs. Jaemin is quick to follow. 

“Hallelujah!” He shouts as he sees a large body of water, with a small waterfall coming from the side of a small mountain. 

Jaemin immediately sheds his pack, shoes, and outer clothes. He dives straight into the cool water. He swims forward, making eye contact with a small fish who’s staring curiously at him. Holding his breath, he holds out a hand and watches happily as the fish makes itself at home.

Jaemin loves swimming. He’s loved it ever since he was a young child. They don’t have many opportunities to swim at the North Pole, but there are a few warmer pools of water used to teach people how to swim. Jaemin, of course, took full advantage of it. He would also swim in the canals, which are freezing. He’s got tough skin, it’s fine. 

Running out of air, he waves goodbye to the fish and swims up to the surface. He pokes his head out of the water to see Mark sitting with his legs dangling in the pool. He’s leaning his head on his shoulder with a soft smile. 

“It’s good to see you smiling again,” Mark quips. 

“The water is fantastic!” He shouts, floating on his back. He sticks his arms and legs out in a starfish. 

“I’d join you, but one of us needs to stay dry.” 

Jaemin hums. “Your loss.” 

Then something pokes his back. Jaemin yelps. He does a half-backflip, dipping under the water and looking around quickly. He makes eye contact with none other than a hippopotamus. Jaemin nearly screams as he scrambles to get out of the water. 

“Mark! Mark! We need to go.” He instinctively bends the water to his aid, carrying himself out of the pond. 

Mark, who was falling asleep leaning his head on his hand, jolts up. 

“What? What’s wrong.” 

“Hippo!” Jaemin screeches, reaching land he grabs Mark by his collar, pulling his legs out of the water. 

Hippopotami are large and very, very aggressive. Jaemin has never seen one in real life. They’re native to the Earth Kingdom. He has considered himself lucky for that fact, but apparently times do change. 

Just as he leaves the water, a pair of eyes and ears breach the surface of the pond, looking up at him and Mark. 

The hippo swims closer, opening its mouth in a yawn. It has two large teeth on either side of its mouth. They may not look sharp, but Jaemin knows the force behind the hippo’s jaws is insane. 

Mark grips his wrist, pulling him backwards. 

Jaemin pauses. “Wait.” 

There’s something in the hippo’s eyes. Something painful and desperate. It swims up to the edge of the pond, staring up at them. 

Jaemin pulls his wrist from Mark’s hold, kneeling down next to the water. 

“Hey,” he greets, tentatively raising a hand. His heart pounds in his chest. He’s never been so close to such a dangerous creature. 

The hippo opens its mouth. Jaemin freezes. It stares up at him as it closes its mouth around Jaemin’s hand. 

“Um, wow, this is serious. Please don’t eat my hand.” 

“Jaem—” 

“Mark shut up,” Jaemin hisses. He’s sure Mark is freaking out, but he doesn’t want Mark to startle the hippo. That could end very badly. 

“So, uh, hippo dude.” Jaemin gulps. He really doesn’t want to lose his hand. “What’s up?” 

Then the hippo pulls back, yanking Jaemin into the pond again. Jaemin shouts. 

“Jaemin!” Mark yells, but Jaemin is already falling into the water. He takes a quick breath before he’s pulled under by the hippo. The hippo releases him once they’re deep underwater. Jaemin quickly takes his hand back, holding it close to his chest. 

The hippo nods its head, and Jaemin follows it deep underwater. He’s a bit surprised, it’s a very deep pond. 

It gets darker as he gets deeper. He strains to see. Then he sees bright green. He swims closer until he’s met with a se tu, a bright, large, green fish. However this se tu is entangled in a net. 

Jaemin swims closer, grabbing the netting. He’s running out of air and the netting is tight around the fish’s body. 

He needs something sharp, but the only sharp objects he has are with his pack. The knife Yangyang gave him is with his outer clothes. 

He holds up a finger, quickly trying to swim back to the top, but the hippo grabs his ankle in its mouth. Fuck, he needs air. 

“I need air,” he tries to tell the hippo. The hippo shakes its head, causing Jaemin to be thrown around through the water. It puts the slightest bit of pressure around his ankle. Jaemin is beginning to feel lightheaded. Desperate, he sends a blast of water at the hippo’s face. The hippo places more pressure on his ankle. Jaemin hears a loud crack through the water, followed by a stabbing pain. 

But then the hippo lets go. Jaemin propels himself to the surface with his bending. He flies out of the water, landing on the hard dirt. He coughs. 

“Holy shit, Jaemin, what happened?” Mark hurries over to him from where he was about to enter the water. 

His eyes widen. “Your ankle.” 

Jaemin finally stops coughing. “Yeah that bites. It’s fine, you can heal it, right?” 

Mark nods, regaining his composure. “Yeah, I should be able to.” 

“Great. I gotta get my knife and go back down. The hippo’s friend is caught in some netting. That’s why it grabbed me.” He pushes himself to stand, nearly toppling back to the ground at the first bit of pressure on his ankle. Mark quickly catches him. 

“No way. I’ll do it, you stay here.” 

Jaemin shakes his head. “No, I have no idea how they’ll react to you.” 

“I’m the big brother, let me face the hippo.” 

“I’m the bender, I’ll face the hippo.” 

Mark opens his mouth to argue, but Jaemin is already grabbing his knife. 

“See you in a bit, Markie,” he says with a wink. He uses his bending to carry himself to the water. Jaemin takes a big breath and dives back in. 

He propels himself down quickly. The hippo is gone, leaving just the fish. Jaemin makes quick work of the net, careful of the fish as he slices through the rope. The fish thanks him before swimming off. 

He propels himself back out of the water. Jaemin exits to see Mark cornered by a tree, the hippopotamus walking towards him. 

“Stop!” Jaemin shouts. “I saved your friend, just let him be.” 

The hippo turns. Upon seeing Jaemin it barrels towards him. He’s knocked back into the water. It opens its mouth, aiming for Jaemin’s hand again. Jaemin quickly pulls his hand away. He throws himself out of the water, landing near the tree Mark is under. 

The hippo exits the water, barrelling towards them. Jaemin brings both his arms up, trapping the hippo in a block of ice. 

“Mark, we should get going,” Jaemin whispers, heart pounding in his chest. 

Mark nods slowly. He pulls Jaemin’s arm around his shoulders. 

“I’ll heal you once we’re a good distance away,” Mark says. 

“Thanks.” 

Mark quickly packs up their stuff, handing Jaemin his overclothes and pack. Slowly, the two make their way away from the hippo. 

* * *

Renjun can’t sleep. 

He slips out of bed, carefully making his way out of his cabin and down the hall of the large ship. 

Renjun stumbles onto the deck, holding out both his hands to stay balanced. He grips the side of the ship, taking deep breaths and looking out at the vast ocean. He walks over to the front of the ship. He grips the side so tight his knuckles turn white. 

He reaches the peak, holding the siding on either side of him and looking straight out. He’s in the center yet he still feels unbalanced. Renjun still is unbalanced. He will never be able to find balance again. 

He gingerly touches the stiff, white bandage around his head. He wants to tear it off. Tear it off and throw it away. He wants to see what monstrosity his father created.

Renjun’s vision is blocked; he has to turn his head completely to see anything out his left side. He misses his sight, sure, but he’s more bothered by his ear. He still doesn’t know if he will be able to hear properly. That leaves him vulnerable. It means he can’t hear people coming from his left side. In battle he now has a weak spot. 

He always relies more on his hearing than sight anyways. The distinct sound of flames bursting through the air, the scuff of footsteps along steel or sand. 

He’s praying it’s only the outer shell of his ear that’s damaged, that his inner ear is still intact. He could still hear, it would just be muffled. Quieter. 

Renjun looks out on the ocean. They’re still in Fire Nation territory, but their ship is flagged, so they luckily haven’t been bothered yet. 

The ocean gently rocks their ship back and forth. They’re still sailing forwards, but much slower than before. Renjun can feel the gentle wind in his hair, against his face. It’s cool. Relaxing. It helps ease the pain. 

The pain hasn’t been too bad. Donghyuck managed to snag some herbal remedies before they left, so he helps apply them on Renjun’s wound every morning. 

Donghyuck is very good at masking his emotions, except his eyes give it all away. Whenever he’s applying the salve, all Renjun sees in them is sadness. 

Renjun can’t open his eye yet, and he knows the wound is probably still hideously raw. He wants to see it, but Donghyuck refuses to let him. 

He takes a deep breath, closing his eye and ducking his head. The smell of the ocean is calming. He finally lets himself feel. 

He feels hurt, incredibly hurt, and betrayed. He feels alone and lost and confused. He just lost his country, his family, his parents, his brother. He’s left to navigate the entire world, to find a place to live.

His own father burned half his face off, and his mother did nothing but watch. 

Except now he’s free. He feels free. And he isn’t alone, not really. He still has Donghyuck, and even if he was kicked out of the family and stripped of his title, he knows Sicheng still loves him. 

Renjun opens his eye, surveying the vast ocean once more. It’s truly endless, stretching on for miles upon miles. He looks up at the sky and is met with the same overwhelming freedom. 

This ocean is his to explore, his to be free in. He can go anywhere in the whole world.

He’s free now. 

He reaches into his boot, pulling out the knife he keeps in it. He takes his topknot in his hand, reaching up. In one, swift motion, he slices the knot from his head, letting his now-short hair fall. 

He places his knife back in his boot and takes a step back. He winds up his arm, throwing the top knot as far as he possibly can. It disappears into the dark ocean. 

He breathes a little bit easier. He can’t help the laugh that bubbles from inside his chest. 

Renjun's  _ free. _

“I’m free!” He shouts to the ocean. He takes a step back, laying down on the cold steel of the ship. 

He looks up at the clouds and the stars.

“I’m finally free,” he whispers to the stars. 

“I’m proud of you.” Donghyuck’s voice carries from across the ship. 

Renjun doesn’t move. Donghyuck walks across the ship and over to him, taking a seat. 

“Cute hair,” Donghyuck says. 

“Thanks, wanna do it to your own?” 

“Yes, please.” He holds out his hand. Renjun hands him the knife. He watches as Donghyuck reaches up, slicing through the hair. He stands and chucks the topknot much like Renjun did. 

“That felt good.” He hands Renjun back his knife. 

“I know, right?” Renjun says. “We’re finally free, Duckie.” 

Donghyuck takes his hand and lies on his right side, so Renjun can easily turn to look him in the eye. 

“You’re going to heal, Renjun. You’re gonna heal well and we’ll be okay and free. We can be refugees in Ba Sing Se, or in Omashu.” 

“You know Omashu doesn’t take refugees like Ba Sing Se does.” 

Donghyuck shrugs. “I’ve heard that Omashu is a much kinder, more honest city. I think we should try to get in there first.” 

Renjun nods slowly. “Yeah, we can try.” 

Donghyuck smiles. “I’m glad you agree.” He turns to look up at the stars. 

“The stars really are beautiful, aren’t they?” Donghyuck asks, squeezing Renjun’s hand. 

Renjun sighs peacefully. “They really are, Donghyuck. They really are.” 

Donghyuck turns back to him, a grin on his face. 

“Since you’re feeling better, can I start making fun of you again?” He asks cheekily. 

Renjun slaps at him with his free hand. 

“No, you butthead.” 

“Alright, dickwad.” 

“Shut up, buttface.”

“Do you have any insults that don’t include the word butt in them?” Donghyuck asks. 

“Shut up.” 

Renjun squeezes Donghyuck’s hand. 

He’s at peace. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> go renjun!!! woohoo!!!! i hope you enjoyed the chapter!! thank you so much for reading :)) stay safe and healthy and see you on the tenth!
> 
> \- fran


	9. A Poorly Timed Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chenle blinks. “What are canyon crawlers?” 
> 
> Jisung gestures wildly with his hands. “They’re these big, scary, ugly creatures with like six spiny legs and a big mouth and big teeth and they’re super scary. My parents used to tell me all about them to dissuade me from going to the Great Divide.” 
> 
> Chenle gives a soft smile. “And yet here we are.” 
> 
> Jisung crosses his arms, frowning. “And yet here we are.”

“Here we are,” Jisung says. “The Great Divide.” 

Chenle gulps next to him, taking a step forward to peer over the edge. His foot slips. Jisung quickly grabs the back of his shirt, pulling him back to safety. 

“Thanks.” Chenle rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “Wouldn’t have wanted to fall down that.” 

Jisung nods. “No problem.” 

“So how do we get down? And across it?” 

“Um …” Jisung looks around. “There used to be a guide, but I don’t see one anywhere. I guess I can just bend us down and we can walk across?” He suggests. Nono hops onto his shoulder. 

Chenle shrugs. “Sounds good to me.” 

Jisung brings down his arms. The rock beneath them shifts, breaking apart from the rest of the platform around them. He nearly breaks a sweat as he puts his all into pushing them to the bottom of the cavern. He closes his eyes to focus better. 

“Ji, we made it.” Chenle’s hand lands on his arm. He opens his eyes to see that they are at the bottom of the large cavern. 

“That was tiring,” he says, looking at Chenle and giving him a weak smile. 

Chenle pats him on the back, before ruffling his hair. “You did well, Jisung.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Alright,” Chenle says. “We should probably get moving, right? We want to find a safe enough place to spend the night in.” 

“Spend the night?!” Jisung yelps, whipping around to look at Chenle. Bobo has flown down to land next to him. 

“We can’t spend the night down here? There are canyon crawlers!” 

Chenle blinks. “What are canyon crawlers?” 

Jisung gestures wildly with his hands. “They’re these big, scary, ugly creatures with like six spiny legs and a big mouth and big teeth and they’re super scary. My parents used to tell me all about them to dissuade me from going to the Great Divide.” 

Chenle gives a soft smile. “And yet here we are.” 

Jisung crosses his arms, frowning. “And yet here we are.” 

Chenle rubs up and down his back, his touch comforting. “We’ll be fine, Ji. We should get moving.”

Jisung nods. He uncrosses his arms and steps off the platform. Chenle takes his hand from where it hangs by his side. Jisung’s eyes widen in surprise. 

“You’re holding my hand,” he blurts. 

“Yeah? What about it?” Chenle raises an eyebrow. 

Jisung’s cheeks flush. “Nothing.” He relaxes. 

“Great, let’s get going.” 

Bobo makes a sound, floating beside them. She huffs, moving past them. 

“She’s been so finicky lately.” Chenle wrinkles his nose. “I never expected I’d have a teenager but I guess here we are.” 

Jisung laughs. “Yeah. I guess so.” 

“Hey, once we pause you can show me some of your earthbending moves!” Chenle exclaims excitedly.

Jisung grins. “That would be great! I have so many cool ones you haven’t seen yet. There’s the pillar one—you know, with the spheres—then you’ve kinda seen the sheets of rocks ones. There’s also one where I just bring circles from the ground and shoot them all at bad guys. There are so many different moves, it’s like the possibilities are endless!” 

Chenle squeezes his hand. “You’ve really come so far, Jisung.” He smiles fondly. 

Jisung’s heart swells. 

“I’m proud of you.” 

God, he likes Chenle so much. 

“Thanks, Lele.” 

Maybe he should tell him. The thought has Jisung freezing in place. He needs to tell him. It’s like a wave of need has washed over him. Chenle needs to know how much he means to Jisung. Maybe it’s because they could get attacked by a canyon crawler any second, but Chenle needs to know. 

Chenle is kind, he’s always been too kind, and Jisung knows Chenle would never hate him. He’s reassured by that fact. He isn’t too nervous; he should probably be nervous, he’s never confessed to someone before. 

But it’s just his feelings, and Jeno always encourages him to talk about his feelings. 

“Chenle.” His mouth goes dry. “There’s something I need to tell you.” 

Chenle raises an eyebrow. “Is that why you stopped walking?” 

Jisung scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. “Maybe?” 

“I’m just teasing, Ji. What’s up?” 

Jisung opens his mouth to speak when he hears it. 

The loud screech of a canyon crawler. He whips around. Behind him is a terrifying, four legged beast. It looks like a giant bug with a long, pointed, sharp teeth-filled mouth. Jisung isn’t quite as terrified as he was when it was the sea serpent, but he’s still absolutely fucking terrified. 

“Jisung, what the fuck is that!” Chenle shrieks. He lets go of Jisung’s hand to grip his staff with both hands. 

“That’s a canyon crawler,” Jisung replies, shifting to his bending stance. 

The canyon crawler screams again, taking a few cautious steps towards Jisung and Chenle. 

“Okay, so what, is it gonna like, attack us or something?” 

As if on cue, the crawler screeches, launching itself forward towards Chenle. Jisung brings his arms up in the largest motion he can, causing it to collide into a new wall of rock. 

“Holy shit! That was amazing!” Chenle exclaims, jumping up and down. 

Jisung stares at the ginormous wall of rock in front of him. Did he really do that?

“You did just as Taeyong said! Large movements warrant large creations. You did it, Ji!” 

Jisung can’t help but laugh in awe. “No way.” 

Then there’s a loud screech. A new canyon crawler descends from the canyon’s wall. 

Jisung gulps. He lowers his stone wall, revealing the canyon crawler from before is clonked out on the ground. 

The new canyon crawler approaches them slowly, cautious after what happened with its friend.

“Lemme handle this one,” Chenle says with a grin. He steps forward. He leaps and brings his staff down in one fell swoop, sending a vertical gust of air straight towards the canyon crawler. The crawler flies backwards, slamming into the wall. 

“Nice one!” Jisung exclaims. He turns and holds his hand up for a high five, which Chenle excitedly gives. 

“I think that’s all for now, or at least I hope. Let’s keep going,” Chenle says. He holds his hand out for Jisung, which Jisung happily takes. 

Just as they’re about to continue walking, Jisung hears a loud scuttering noise followed by a series of loud shrieks. He turns so he’s back to back with Chenle and watches as tens of canyon crawlers come down from the canyon. 

Fuck. 

“Please tell me you aren’t seeing the same thing I’m seeing,” Chenle says. Jisung quickly erects a stone tent around Bobo and Nono, protecting them. 

“Bad news then, Lele. Now’s when I tell you how much you mean to me, right?” 

“Park Jisung, don’t you dare, we’re gonna be just fine.” Chenle squeezes his hand.

“But there is something I need to tell you,” Jisung says. 

“Now’s not really the time.” 

“No, Chenle, I really need to tell you this.” 

The canyon crawlers draw closer. 

“Come on!” Chenle says. 

Jisung brings up a pillar of rock next to him, moving behind it to begin punching rocks at the canyon crawlers. Once his pillar is gone, he brings up large stones directly from the ground, roundhouse kicking them towards the canyon crawlers. One gets hit on the head, another in the open mouth. He’s doing alright.

“Jisung, duck!” Chenle calls. He does as he says, and there’s a gust of wind above him. He turns to see Chenle twirling his staff over his head, sending wind around them, knocking back all of the crawlers.

“Nice one, Ch—“ He’s cut off as the leg of a canyon crawler catches him across the chest, sending him flying into a nearby pillar of rock that was naturally in the canyon. 

“Jisung!” Chenle shouts. Jisung groans, his body aches. He pushes himself to stand, using the rock behind him as an aid. 

Chenle flies next to him. He brings his staff down in one fluid motion, sending the closest canyon crawler flying. 

“Chenle, I need to tell you that I have a crush on you!” Jisung shouts. Chenle has broken a sweat. He holds his staff out in front of him, spinning it in a circle. Jisung watches as a tornado-like creation flies from the end of his staff. It catches a crawler, trapping it into the vortex until Chenle releases it and it stumbles away. 

“I told you, now is not the time!” 

“But we might die and I want you to know!” 

“Well you just told me, so it’s fine; now shut up and help me or go run away.”

“I’m not running away,” Jisung says, appalled. 

Chenle continues to fight off the crawlers while Jisung tries not to topple over again. He attempts to fix his stance, only to wince, gripping his abdomen. That’s where there’s the most pain.

“Sit down,” Chenle orders.

“No way, you need help.” 

He does need help, serious help. Chenle hurries backwards as a crawler snaps its jaw inches from his face. He ends up right next to Jisung, continuing to slash desperately. 

Jisung manages to raise a pillar under one crawler, sending it flying. Another one snaps right next to Chenle, about to grab him. Jisung pulls a slab of rock from the ground, cutting it off.

“For the record,” Chenle whispers, just loud enough that Jisung can hear him. 

Jisung’s heart drops. They’re really about to die, aren’t they? 

“I like you too.” Chenle spares him a glance, briefly making eye contact. 

Jisung is just about to pull up a large slab to surround them when a series of ice shards fly through the sky, scaring away the canyon crawlers. 

Jisung is immediately on guard, turning to see two men in blue clothing. 

“Who are you?” Jisung demands. He suddenly wishes he had a weapon to wield threateningly. One of the guys, the short one, has a spear. This could be ugly. 

“Relax, we’re not gonna hurt you,” the taller says gently, raising his hands in surrender. 

“How can we trust you?” Jisung asks loudly. He pushes off the wall, standing as straight as he can.

“Jisung, I really don’t think they’re gonna hurt us. They just saved our lives,” Chenle says quietly. “You should sit down.” He rests a hand on Jisung’s arm. 

“My name is Jaemin,” the taller says. “And this is Mark.”

Jisung relaxes. Waterbenders are generally more friendly; they aren’t the Fire Nation. 

“I’m Chenle, and the angry one is Jisung,” Chenle says brightly. “Thanks for saving our lives.” He bows. 

“I’m not angry,” Jisung grumbles. “I’m just cautious.” 

“It was no problem, we were just passing by,” Jaemin says. “Are you boys also trying to get through the Great Divide?” He asks. 

Chenle nods. “Yep! We’re trying to save Jisung’s brother from the Fire Nation.” 

Mark’s eyes widen. “Really? From the Fire Nation?” 

Jisung laughs nervously. “Yeah …” 

“Well, good luck,” Jaemin says with a bright smile. “Do you guys want to stick together? Unless you’re heading north. We’re heading south.” 

“We’re heading south too!” Chenle exclaims. “Having travel partners would be great! It’s also less dangerous.” 

“We should keep walking,” Mark says. “We can walk and talk until nightfall.” 

“Then Jisung can make us another rock tent!” 

“A rock tent, huh.” Jaemin raises an eyebrow. “You must be a pretty good earthbender.” 

Jisung’s cheeks flush. “I’m really not,” he mumbles. “I couldn’t even hold my own against the canyon crawlers.” 

Chenle sighs. “That’s because you got slammed into a giant rock. Speaking of which, I told you to sit down!”

Jisung laughs weakly. “It’s fine, Chenle.” 

“Oh! I can heal you if you’d like,” Mark says, holding up a satchel of water. 

“Woah, really? That’s so cool! I’ve never met a healer before!” Chenle exclaims excitedly. 

Mark laughs brightly. “Yeah, thanks. I don't actually regularly bend but I can heal.” 

“That’s still amazing!” 

“Thanks, Chenle.” Mark has a warm smile on his face. 

“Jisung, lift your shirt the tiniest bit.” Jisung does as he’s told, ignoring how Chenle turns bright red and looks away. Mark bends water from his water pouch. It surrounds Jisung’s torso. There’s a bright white glow and the pain eases, and Jisung can stand up straight. 

“Thanks!” Jisung drops his shirt and Chenle turns back, clearing his throat. 

“Let’s get moving,” Chenle mumbles. He takes Jisung’s hand again. 

That’s when Jisung remembers. Chenle said he likes him. Like, he like-likes him. And he meant it, because why would he say it if he didn’t mean it. Jisung trusts Chenle with his life. He’s literally risking his own life to help save Jisung’s own brother. Of course Chenle meant it. 

That means they could date, and be boyfriends. Jisung turns, only to realize that he never let Bobo and Nono out of the rock tent. He brings his arms down swiftly, and Bobo and Nono both hurry over to them. Nono hops on his shoulder, meowing. 

“Hey, buddy,” Jisung says, rubbing Nono on the head. He squawks. Bobo flies overhead. 

“Wait a minute,” Jaemin says, turning around. “That’s a sky bison. I thought they were all dead.” 

Next to Jisung, Chenle stiffens. “Well, uh,” he stutters. 

“Why are you guys in the Great Divide?” Jisung changes the subject. “You’re waterbenders. Waterbenders rarely leave their tribes.” 

Jaemin seems surprised at the sudden change in topic, but if he’s confused he handles it well. “We’ve been sent to check on our sister tribe, the Southern Water Tribe.” 

Jisung nods in understanding. 

“And you boys, where are you from? How old are you?” 

“I’m just a bit north of the bay, outside Ba Sing Se. I just turned seventeen.” Jisung says. 

Chenle looks down at his feet. “Um, well.” He takes a deep breath. Jisung squeezes his hand. 

He leans over to whisper in Chenle’s ear. “You don’t have to tell them.” 

“It’s fine,” Chenle mumbles. “They’re bound to figure out eventually.” 

He lifts his head. “I’m also seventeen … and I’m from the Northern Air Temple,” he mutters. 

Jaemin’s eyes widen, while Mark’s jaw drops. They both stop walking. 

“You’re kidding,” Mark says. “You’re an airbender.” Jisung subtly shifts in front of Chenle. 

“He is,” Jisung says slowly. “That won’t be an issue, right?” 

“No, no, of course not. We won’t do anything or tell anyone you’re alive. We promise,” Jaemin says quickly. 

Chenle exhales a sigh of relief. “Thanks, guys.” He smiles brightly. 

“So you’re the last airbender then,” Mark says. “That’s insane. Do you know anything about the Avatar? Wait, are you the Avatar? Holy shit! You’re the Avatar!” 

Jisung gives an exasperated sigh. “You didn’t even let him answer.” 

“Jisung, it’s alright. No, I’m not the Avatar. I’m just a nomad who barely survived. I don’t know anything about the Avatar. He was from the Southern Air Temple.” 

“Did you know him?” Jaemin asks curiously. 

Chenle nods. “I did, but that’s not important,” he says quickly. “I don’t know where he went. The rumors are he ran away right before the genocide.”

“Wow,” Jaemin whispers. 

Chenle laughs forcefully. “Crazy, right? Let’s keep walking.” He yanks Jisung, who yelps but stumbles along. 

“Actually,” Jaemin says. “The sun is setting. We should set up camp for the night.” 

Jisung quickly erects two stone tents, one for each party. “Once you guys are in it, I’ll pull up the other walls, and we’ll just hope I wake up first,” he says with a small smile. 

They hang out until the moon is high in the sky. After a while, everyone begins yawning. 

“Jisung and I actually need to talk about something now, so goodnight!” Chenle exclaims out of the blue, quickly pulling Jisung into their large, stone tent. 

Chenle takes a deep breath as they sit on the cold stone floor. Jisung brings up the wall of the tent, meaning their only source of moonlight is the small hole in the ceiling of the round tent.

“You like me,” he says, looking Jisung in the eye. The moonlight illuminates the side of his face, his dark eye glittering in the night. 

Jisung gulps. “Uh, yeah, yeah I do.” 

“And I like you too,” Chenle says carefully.

“Are you sure?” Jisung asks. 

Chenle looks affronted. “Yes, I’m sure! I’m just surprised that you like me!” 

“Well I’m surprised you like me back!” 

Chenle squints. “I’m pretty sure I liked you first, so it would be you like me back, not I like you back.” 

Jisung scoffs. “Seriously?” 

“Yes seriously, I’ve had a crush on you for, like, forever.” 

“Well I’ve wanted to kiss you for, like, forever!” Jisung pouts. 

“Well why don’t you do it, then!” Chenle brings his hands up to cup Jisung’s face. 

“Fine!” 

Chenle smirks. “Do it then, cutie.”

Jisung’s cheeks flush at the nickname. Now he’s feeling a lot less confident and a whole lot more nervous. 

But then Chenle presses his lips to Jisung’s for the sweetest kiss. Jisung kisses back, pulling Chenle towards him with hands on his hips. 

Jisung pouts as they pull away. “I thought I was gonna kiss you,” he whines. 

Chenle shrugs. “You were taking too long. But hey, if you want to prove to me that you can …” he trails off. 

Jisung swallows his nerves and leans in again, tilting his head so that his and Chenle’s lips slot perfectly together. He squeezes Chenle’s hips, just as Chenle’s hands travel down so they’re looping around his neck. 

Jisung sighs happily. 

“This is nice,” he mumbles against Chenle’s lips. 

Chenle smiles lazily. “That it is, cutie.” 

They pull apart, instead moving to hug one another. 

“That it is.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAHHHH FINALLYYYYY GO CHENJI i mean [clears throat] ahem. yes. they kissed. woop woop. anyways. and finally some of our beloved heroes meet one another. hallelujah. hope you enjoyed the chapter!! see you on the 15th!
> 
> \- fran

**Author's Note:**

> ahahaha!!! fran here!! hello!! nice to meet u :) there is the first chapter of atla au!! don't get discouraged, the rest of dream will be introduced very very soon, I pinkie promise. i'll be posting every 5 days, so keep your eyes out for a new chapter on the 5th!! ty for reading !! stay safe & healthy.
> 
> i'd love to hear your thoughts!  
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